Rebirth
by Videogame Fangirl
Summary: It has been ten years since the last sighting of the sword, Soul Edge. However, the calm was not to last. A new destiny unfolds in Phoenix, the reincarnation of Soul Calibur. She is only born for one reason. To eliminate Soul Edge... Or die in the process
1. Prologue – Journey into the Past

**Prologue – Journey into the Past**

Born from love, born from deceit. Born from both light and dark.

The opposite to the darkness, the light of the night, fate in her hands.

Reborn, retold, rediscovered destiny, a path of loneliness.

Born for sacrifice, born for protection, born with the ability to fight.

Truth and wisdom the only guides…

The path of the sword… Soul Calibur.

She sat alone in a room that was outlined with the last rays of the sunlight filtering through the open window. Her pale, translucent eyes looked out the open widow, her small nose picking up the scent of fresh air on the outside. Snow fell lightly through the rays of light and fell gently on the ground, making no sound. She rocked slowly, back and forth on the spot, as she tried to pass the time in a manner that would take her mind off how long she would have to wait. She sat idle, her breath coming out slightly frustrated. Her patience was waning and she had only been waiting for a few minutes. She got up and began to pace, her short legs taking a long time to pace around the room. She raised a hand to touch her chin softly, stroking it in a rhythmic manner as id that would alleviate her boredom. She paced around for a few more futile minutes before her boredom got the better of her. She sat down once again by the window but this time, she had a different intent. She grabbed a few pebbles that were outlined by the edges and began to get ready to throw it at the door. As if the occupants in the other room sensed her actions, the door opened without warning and she dropped the stones behind her without so much of a clatter. She got up and ran over, her hands on her hips and a pout on her lips.

"Finally! It took you so long that I nearly snored and died! What's the news?" Her voice came out a little snobbish but that was okay by her, she was bored. Whenever she lost her patience, she became extremely sarcastic and now, she sounded a little ruder than normal. The adult sighed at her and patted her head, something she only allowed done when something really good or, vice versa, really bad happened to her. She tensed a little, her mind weighing which kind of news it would be. The adult looked a little saddened but had a composed face so she was finding it hard to choose which option it would be.

"Little girl…" Began the adult and she jutted out her lower lip even more. She hated to be referred to as a little girl even if she was just seven years old. "I have bad news for you… Your home is no longer your home anymore… It's been—"She failed to hear the next words, her head was shaking back and forth so fast, she slapped the person with her hair. She hated being told the worst jokes on the face of the planet and this was certainly one of them. She narrowed her eyes into slits and gazed up at the adult who brought her this cruel joke.

"You liar! Tell me the truth! You're lying!" She had an indignant look on her face as she stared at the person who had brought her this news. The adult looked at her and sighed, evidently knowing that such things were futile to argue with her. They persisted their point, however, ignoring the scathing look that she had sent them.

"Listen to me, Phoenix… Your home was destroyed, so were the houses surrounding it. It is not safe to go alone but I would be more than willing to—"She blotted out the next words with an exclamation of distress and an iron hard will of disbelief. She shook her head one more time and without showing restraint, turned and ran for the door. She forced it open and with speed that was not her own, she ran down the dusty street, determined for answers. She sped across the town, the snow whipped at her face with an almost gentle touch. She continued ever onwards, her mouth breaking out into an almost silent exclamation of her anger and mistrust. She continued her plight along the solitary streets of the deserted town. Her mind was in pure denial, what she heard was not true… there was no way it could be. Her mind raced along with her body as she continued her way along the sunlit streets. Finally, she neared the edge of street and rushed forward. She thought perhaps cries of protest, cries seeking forgiveness, yelled after her but she paid them no head. She continued along her journey and finally made it into the familiar house structure.

The rancid smell of blood filled her nostrils but she walked forward, throwing her fear out the window. She had no idea what to expect but kept moving ever forward in the hopes that it would be wrong… That this was a dream, which she was merely resting. She rounded the corner into her house, and stopped short upon the sight that she saw. Her well furnished room was completely destroyed, all of the walls had slash marks on them. She blinked through eyes that could not see and stepped into the room with a blank expression on her face. Her eyes followed the outline of so much blood on the windows, streaked across the floor, strewn on the very curtains that fell, dismantled. She continued her way through her previously ordered house, her breath steeling to itself as she progressed. She was scared, more than she had been her life, as she entered the kitchen. She was nearly ready to bolt right there, the sight was too much for her to take. Hanging from the ceiling was the body of her mother, mutilated beyond recognition. On a charred hand, she recognized the ring that her mother had always worn and with a heart heavy in regret, she turned. She started as her eyes caught a figure standing in the doorway of her house. It wasn't an adult… It was… her. But the longer she looked, the more she realized that it wasn't really her, moreover, her friend, the boy version of herself and opposite in all ways but one.

"Oh? You're here? I didn't expect you to be here." He raised his eyebrows at her as he stepped inside. He was rarely fazed by the sight of blood and relished seeing pain in others. Her love for her friend was something she could not explain because even she did not understand why she loved him herself. She stared into his fathomless eyes as he turned upon her location. He picked his way through the disorderly room and made it as far as the doorway before she blocked his path.

"You… I…" She couldn't think of anymore coherent words to say to him as she began to shake with her suppressed dobs. He looked surprised but pulled her in for a hug as she stood there, shaking and rocking on the spot. He patted her head in the motion that she had come to adore only from him. He held her as she continued to cry. She had the feeling that his eyes scanned the scene behind her as she felt him shudder. A single tear fell down his face and fell onto hers but that was all she felt. He had never been a big crier and it did not seem that this would trigger it. He held her closer as he tensed, she could feel his head moving around to survey the room. At long last, she quieted her tears long enough to regain composure. Although her parents had never been the sort to care, it came to her as a sort of shock that such a horrible thing could've happened to them. She turned her head up towards him, letting him know that she was okay. He let her go, only a small portion, as to let her look around the room too. She hiccupped to a stop and shook her head.

"How'd you get here…?" She looked into his eyes that shined with an inner darkness that hers never did. He slowly gazed at her and sighed, relinquishing complete hold on his friend and allowing her to stand up on her own. He ran fingers through his hair before looking back up towards her.

"That stupid teacher told me where you were headed. I came by to get you but she wouldn't let me in. So, you left and I ran after you, simple as that." He looked at her as if this information was totally expected and as if it made all the sense in the world. Her mind calculating fast, she realized that what he was saying wasn't all that true. She tried to look relieved but she wasn't. She was worried. Why would he be here…? And why was she so worried? But she knew why. It was because it didn't make any sense. It was because she knew that the teacher had followed her so how on earth could he have talked to the teacher after she had left? She shook once again but not from the grief that was slowly ebbing away in her gut. She shook from renewed rage and misunderstanding of her companion.

"How is that possible? She followed me so how on earth could you have…?" He caught her by surprise by throwing her a cocky grin. That was yet another thing that she and her counterpart didn't share in common. He scratched his nose and in some sort of effort to shove off any implications, he waved his hand in a nonchalant manner.

"I caught up with her, little details, why should you care?" He said in a sardonic tone that always managed to annoy her and now was no exception. He continued to have a too calm attitude about everything that had happened and now, she glared at him in the same aggravation she had showed towards the previous adult.

"You act so calm, even though my parents just… passed away…" She could not bring herself to fully say what she was trying to imply and instead substituted some words. He got the substitution but still looked immensely bored with what she was saying, as if it wasn't worth his time to pay attention. She glared with more force than before at him as he yawned and shook his head with a slightly annoyed expression.

"Yeah, they didn't care about you much, anyway. I mean, they could have at least been considerate but no, they never cared one inch for you. Personally, I'm glad the job was done. I'm glad that they're gone." He said it with such an indifferent voice that it was almost shocking to her. She couldn't believe how he was reacting to the whole situation. He looked at her and looked at her though eyes that spoke of hate and misgivings. She balled her hands up into fists and pushed him away from her.

"Shut up! How could you say that?! Just what gives you the right to say such an awful thing to me?!" She screamed in protest at him. He watched the procession with mild interest before stepping forward and taking her hands and his. She tried to pull away but in a contest of strength, he would always be the winner. He knew it because he grinned at her, as if nothing was wrong, and looked into her eyes.

"I have the right to say it… Because I killed them."

**And there you have it! The prologue... Don't worry, the coming chapters are longer! *grabs food* Read and review! I'm open to flame but since this is my first fanfic posted on the sight, flame only if you have to.**


	2. Chapter One – A New Destiny

**Chapter One – A New Destiny**

Phoenix awoke with a hard, plummeting sensation that she associated with the feeling of waking up. She clutched her arms closer to her body, her breathing ragged. She had had that dream again, that memory had come edging back into her life. She hated it, knowing that she had loved him. Knowing that she had… she shook her head. That was in the past. He was never coming back, anyway. That memory, she should've put it in a box long ago and done away with it. It still haunted her when she least expected it. How could she have felt that way about him? He was nothing, he was her opposite. He was a killer. And yet, whenever she thought about him, her heart gave a guilty twinge, knowing how she felt. He had been the only one to understand her even better than her own parents. He understood her in every sense of the word. She got up, rubbing thoughts of him off her mind. She had more important things to think about. Such as the fact that she didn't have any food to eat and it was already midday. Her stomach gave a very loud rumbling noise and she slapped herself to get it to be quiet.

She stood up, trying not to sway from the immense hunger that she felt. She had not eaten properly in several days and would probably faint if she didn't get some food in her belly. She wandered to the edge of the hill she had been resting upon and looked down into the village. She probably shouldn't steal any food unless it was absolutely necessary to do so. She could always ask or try to get someone to buy something for her. She walked down the hill slowly, her legs bringing her swiftly to the town. Six years had passed since the day her parents had died and she was now thirteen. She was too young, according to the townspeople she associated with, to be wandering around by herself but that didn't matter to her. Her ears picked up the sound of the town before she entered, typically, she caught whiff of gossip and children's yells. As she entered into the town, she went past the arena and caught the smell of food. Her stomach giving up, she inched into said arena to see if she could get any food.

"Step right up! First one to defeat our champion gets 25,000 gilda! That's right, you heard me right! 25,000 gilda!" She perked up at the sound of that. She needed money, although she didn't look it, and that price didn't sound half bad. In fact, that amount of money would last her at least three weeks, if not more! She entered into the booth and caught sight of where the procession was going on. She walked up to the person shouting rules and when he turned upon her, his face bore the usual look she got when someone looked at her.

"Back away, girlie. This competition is for men. Unless you're rooting for a boyfriend…?" He added the last part in somewhat tentatively as he looked her up and down, taking in the way she looked. She narrowed her eyes and smiled widely but in a withdrawn manner. He looked taken aback by this sudden mood switch as she maneuvered closer to the ring.

"I'll pay you 50,000 if I lose… But if I win, you owe me 50,000." He looked hesitant to accept her deal but unwisely, he told her okay. Leave it to men to think that she was weak. She stepped into the ring, her kimono rippling behind her. She was met with several jeers and laughs as she entered and took the spot opposite the champion. The tournament organizer was no doubt counting the winnings that he would never get. She would make sure of it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new contestant! Please, girl, what is your name?" Her smirk widened as he asked her this question. He obviously didn't know who he was dealing with.

"My name is Phoenix." She said in an innocent voice. She tried to seem like a really bad fighter as she nodded to his question and smiled sweetly at the audience. He laughed, as she had meant him to, and got back to announcing.

"Very well then. May I introduce Phoenix, who will be versing out champion, Rock!" Her grin widened at these words as she took a few steps forward into the ring. She bowed to her opponent, as did he, before the announcer continued. "He has never lost a match folks, and if he wins, it'll be his 200th one! If the girl wins, however, she takes home the title of champion! Any betters?" A lot of bets were placed on the champion but a small girl in the crowd, most likely her age, put down money for her. Next to her was a uniquely dressed Chinese girl who also put down bets for her. She didn't have time to focus on them, however, as the match was about to start.

"Get ready… Begin!" The announcer stepped back as the bell started ringing for the beginning of the match. Her opponent snorted at her and made smooching noises as they circled one another. She narrowed her eyes so that they resembled slits as she stared back at him.

"I don't know what you're doing here, little girl, but tournaments like these aren't for the weak and spoiled." She tossed her hair out of her face so that it trailed behind her back as she continued circling, her smile widening as she faced him.

"Oh, I wouldn't call myself weak or spoiled… Considering you'll be crying soon, I'd say you're the one that's spoiled." Rock snarled at her and took a charging run towards where she was standing. Her reflexes kicked in and she felt the rare sense of excitement as she jumped upwards on to his weapon. He swung his giant mace towards her but she was too quick for him. Leaping on top, she jumped off and did a flip in the air before landing gracefully on her feet. He looked momentarily surprised but shook it off, running at her once again. She did not want to unsheathe her weapon yet, she would wait for that. Rock bounded at her, his mace attempting to catch onto her kimono. She dodged the blow and with her palms, she touched the pressure point near his wrist that made him drop his weapon. He looked shocked at this but recovered quickly again, picking it up and swinging it towards her. She ducked below it and finally unsheathing her sword, she aimed it in an upwards thrust towards his chest. She slashed a long gash, blood spurted out from the wound. He gasped and winced but quickly dabbed some cloth to it while he slowly moved backwards as she walked towards him.

She ran towards him while he was still defenseless, her sword held in front of her, ready to strike him down. He dodged to the right and swung his weapon around to meet her body. She smiled as it hit her, and back flipped away from him. He stood there, aghast, as no blood came dropping down the wound that should've hurt her. She pulled back the kimono a bit to show her thigh, completely un-bruised. She zigzagged at him, a smirk on her face. She grabbed the weapon he was holding and despite her size, she dragged it out of his hand and threw it on the floor. She grabbed her sword and twirled it the other way and pressed the hilt up to his heart. He stood in stunned silence, unable to believe that she had beaten him. The onlookers were silent only for a few seconds and then tremulous applause broke out. She smiled wider and moved the sword away from his heart. Rock stood breathing for several minutes before regaining composure and bowing half-heartedly towards her. The announcer stared at her, his mouth hanging open. He didn't even move when she walked over and grabbed her earnings out of his hand. Sweet! She had money for at least a month! She was grinning from ear to ear; this town had been worth it. It was as she got to the doorway that she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned quickly only to see the same dark haired girl that originally had put bets down for her.

"You were good. I knew it was wise to put a bet on you but then again, the winds are never wrong." Phoenix raised an eyebrow at the girl who noticed that she had absolutely no idea what her name was. The girl had enormous almond shaped eyes that were a nice shade of brown. They sparkled as if they were alit by some other force. She stared into Phoenix's eyes and began to talk when the exotic Chinese girl from before appeared.

"Hey, Talim, c'mon, we gotta—"She suddenly noticed the presence of another girl. She stared at her lilac colored hair for a minute before looking her full in the face. She tried to act relaxed but it was a significantly awkward bravado that she put on. "Yousucked! Just kidding! You're pretty strong! I was watching from before!" She had a reminiscent gleam in her eyes as she stared off into the distance. Phoenix allowed her a few more seconds to think about whatever she was thinking about before clearing her throat and interrupting her.

"Yeah, thanks. Listen, I have to go so it was nice meeting you, Talim and…?" The girl turned to her and blushed at the fact that she hadn't introduced herself. She brushed it off and with a little spin and twirl, she flicked two strands of hair out of her face. She grinned so much that Phoenix had to wonder if this girl was anything but happy.

"My name's Xianghua!" She placed a finger on her lips and winked. "And don't you forget it!" She seemed way to hyper for this time of day (frankly, it was only the evening but still…) and practically bounced off with Talim. Talim looked over her shoulder and shot an apologetic look at Phoenix. She watched the two girls depart, feeling a sense of surprise as they ran off so fast, she could've sworn that they used the winds for help. Wait a minute… Hadn't that girl said that the winds are never wrong…? Phoenix looked after them but didn't go after them. She turned and with the gilda clinking around in the bag, she headed for the nearest restaurant, eager for food.

She ran into said restaurant with an eager attitude, ready to finally get some food in her stomach. She waited at a table and finally the waitress walked over. After ordering all her favorite foods (sushi, yuki saki, dumplings, lo mein, and ramen), she waited impatiently for it all to arrive. Her stomach agreed as it gave its loudest growl yet. She clutched it, silencing it for the moment. Her nose smelled the arrival of her food before it came and she felt her mouth water. With a hasty bow and a half-hearted thank you, she waited for the waitress to disappear so that she could start eating. Before she could start, however, the doors crashed open. Feeling a sense of foreboding, she brought out a food sack that she always carried with her and started to stuff the food inside. She put on sushi roll in her mouth, savoring the taste. Why did people always interrupt before she was going to eat?

"Hehehe! Oh, what a nice little place!" The new intruder did not look human and Phoenix tensed and slid her sword deeper inside her kimono. She didn't want to be caught yet, and this newcomer did not look friendly. She looked around the small closed in restaurant before shouting once again. "You look like such fun to play with!" A malicious grin was on her face as she walked forward. Her green hair bounced as she walked further into the restaurant. A ring blade materialized out of nowhere and the girl grabbed it. With a laugh, she rushed forward at a screaming family. Before she could deal any damage, Phoenix rushed forward and blocked her with her sword. The girl's eyes portrayed shock at the sudden defense and she turned to face her opposition.

"Oh ho! And who might you be? Ooooh, you're a pretty one! I want to remember your face before I kill you!" She grinned as Phoenix backed up from her. She tensed and stared disdainfully at the ring blade before shifting her gaze back up to purple eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked calmly. The girl seemed to want to play some more as she circled slowly, her eyes wide and crazy looking. Her smile was still big and Phoenix found it unnerving.

"My name's Tira!" She rushed forward, swinging her blade around. Unused to such a weapon, she awkwardly dodged Tira's blow at her midriff and tried to block her next attack. She edged closer to the door and slipped the bag into her inner pocket before abandoning pretense and running out the door. Tira called after her, her voice melodic and lovely as if she were the most innocent girl on the planet. Phoenix almost turned but told herself not to. She ducked into a back alley and waited, Tira would be coming soon. But the footsteps never came and she grew worried. She went to look around the bend when she suddenly felt something lean against her. She went to fight back but it was too late, she was pinned.

"Ooooh, you're even prettier up close! I could just kiss those lips and then kill you! Or maybe, I'll use you first!" Tira looked almost excited by this, Phoenix, not so much. She was not really a yuri fan and never had been one. She brought her sword hilt up and pushed into Tira's stomach. She grabbed the sword hilt but Phoenix, being a fast thinker, kicked her leg upwards a smacked Tira straight up her face. Tira reeled backwards and seeing her escape, Phoenix started to run full hilt in the opposite direction. Whatever that one was, she wasn't ready to face her, not in this atmosphere. She began to seek some place more open, all the while she could hear Tira's calls behind her.

"Oh little one! Where are you? I want to play!" She kept on running away from the menacing figure, her fear alighting on her face before she quelled it down, determined not to give Tira a benefit. The girl scared her more than she was willing to express. She continued her escape across the town and heard a raven's caw above her. She turned her eyes upward to see one circling above her. She watched it turn around and fly off into a distant alley. With a foreboding feeling, she continued ever forward, running away from the evil. As she neared the town square, several more ravens surrounded her and a she was pelted by a hail of their feathers. She covered her face from the onslaught but it was only the few seconds Tira needed to catch back up with her. Opening her eyes, she saw Tira standing in the midst of the storm of feathers, smiling a sinister grin. Phoenix said nothing, only watched as Tira stepped out of the flurry and lunged at her, the ring blade dangerously swinging towards her chest. She blocked the blow with an upwards thrust with her sword. There was the horrendously loud clang of metal on metal as Tira continued to attack her, one swing right after another.

Her laugh was frightening and it sent chills through her spine. Phoenix dodged the blows that continued in an onslaught against her. Tira got bored of the way she was attacking, at least quite evidently, as she changed tactics and slid to the floor. Her leg swung around, aimed at Phoenix's ankles. She jumped up and took the momentum to bring her sword above her head and aim it in a downwards slash. She hit her mark on Tira's shoulder, the girl howled in sudden agony form the blow. She staggered backwards, blood dripping down her back. Her smile was gone, replaced by an ugly look that possessed murder in its very existence. She began to step forward, her dark eyes heavy-lidded and her lips pulled in a growl.

"You little so-in-so! You might live today but when next we meet, you will die!" Her voice was not at all pleasant and rang with an inner malice. It seemed distorted and as if she was possessed while she said it. Phoenix was getting nervous and backed further away in disdain and fear. Tira looked incredibly frightening and with one more thunderous glance, she jumped into a nearby tree and was gone in less than a minute. Phoenix stared after her and when she was completely sure there was no more danger in her vicinity, she slumped down against the wall, panting and breathing hard. She fell against the hard ground and lay there, trying to get her breathing rate back to normal. Her chest rose and fell with each movement, her breath coming out ragged. Her hands fell limply at her sides as she rocked slowly on the spot. She felt white hot anger rise in her gut as she thought of how she had very nearly lost. What had it been about that girl that had made her blind and unable to retaliate? She paused for a second and thought back to what had gone through her head when she had seen Tira. Now that she thought about it, her body had had the impulse to run… but why? She never ran from fights so why would that time have been an exception?

As she pondered such a thought, she reached inside of the bag that had been buried deep inside her kimono and withdrew a sushi roll. Her mouth watered as she placed it on the tip of her tongue and she swallowed it whole. The hunger she felt had come back tenfold and she winced as it stabbed through her. She ignored it and continued to eat her food, deep in thought. It was as if the impulse to run had been so strong that she had been unable to stop herself. There was something in that girl that invoked her spirit, something that made her want to run in the opposite direction. It hit her with oncoming force; the answer seemed to circle right above her head. The girl, it was her evil aura! That was it, was it not? She would, of course, be naturally scared of such a thing! But even as she thought it, she gritted her teeth. She knew it was not the truth; that she was only lying to herself. Her rapid thoughts were cut short as she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. Whirling around quickly, she stuffed the food out of sight as she stood up, turning to face this stranger.

"Oh, there you are! I was worried…" Phoenix found herself looking into the chocolate eyes of the Philippines girl, Talim. She blinked twice at her before the words registered. Talim smiled almost reassuringly at her but it did nothing to curb her feelings. Phoenix gazed at the eyes that were so filled with wisdom far beyond her numerical age; it was almost scary to her. Talim smiled sadly and began again. "The winds told me of your run in… You should not have survived," Phoenix's eyes widened at Talim's words but the girl ignored the reaction and still spoke. "And yet, the winds tell me there is something in you that protects you… I wonder… could you possibly be…?" She did not continue, only looked at Phoenix in wonder and amazement. She felt slightly unnerved by the girl's stare but Talim did not seem to mind. Her inquisitive eyes stared into hers until Phoenix couldn't take it anymore.

"Could you stop that…? It's a little freaky and frankly, I'm not in the mood right now." Talim nodded once and in the small instant it took to say a small good-bye, she disappeared from view. Phoenix stood shocked by the arrival and disappearance and stood with her mouth gaping open, feeling a little dumb. She shook her head in an effort to calm her raging thoughts. The day just got better and better, didn't it? First the money, then her food, then Tira, and now this! Her head worked to make sense of what she was feeling but it didn't work so well. For one, how did Talim know that she had a fight with Tira? And what had she meant by 'what protected her'? She protected herself. She shook her head, this time to erase the jumble from her memory so that she could make sense piece by piece. Her stomach gave an incredibly loud noise, demanding the food it had been denied all along. She raised some ramen to her lips and slurped it down as she stood, thinking. The moon was high in the sky, her little fight had passed most of the day and night behind her. Her mind was still trying to calculate what had happened but she could come up with nothing. She continued along her way until she finally reached the inn. With a weary wave of gilda and a half-hearted smile, she headed up the stairs towards her indicated room. Closing the door behind her, she plopped down on the bed. The instant she closed her eyes, she knew no more.


	3. Chapter Two – Perilous Fate

**Chapter Two – Perilous Fate**

Awakening to the scent of trees and the sound of birds chirping, Phoenix sat up from her bed, the motion slow due to her tired mind. She felt as if she hadn't gotten any sleep but in reality, she had been out like a log and it was midday. Why was she never awake in the mornings? She brushed the thoughts out of her foggy head and shook it in a bleary manner. She felt slightly annoyed as she brushed out the folds on her silk kimono and put it on. Her mind never seemed to start the day in the morning, it was always the afternoon. But she calmed herself, it was better to be out in the morning than it was at night, when it was much more dangerous. With a sigh, she realized she would have to leave the town soon… And she had gotten such good food here… But with all the things that had happened the previous day, she would be wise to leave this place behind her. Her mind, recapping the events, flicked between Rock, Talim, Tira, and that odd girl, Xianghua. The sun shined through the window and hit her full in the face. She winced as it passed over her eyes and turned away. Picking up her discarded bag full of food, she noticed it was empty. With a heavy sigh, she dodged out the door and proceeded down the stairs, giving the inn keeper a wave as she departed from the inn. She traveled down the street for the last time and headed into the restaurant, keen to stock up on as much food as she could possibly handle to carry. This time, intending to eat when she got the food, she shoveled it all down the instant it arrived. With quick thanks, she left the restaurant and departed from the town all together.

Her feet carried her down the paved path and dirt scuffed up as her feet continued to move along the road. Her eyes shot looks up at the sun which shone overhead and temporarily blinded her. She, at least, crossed the barrier of the town and was quick to make her escape. She walked with the wind blowing at her back, her hair flowing in front of her as she walked. She bit her lip as she continued along her path, her mind once again whirling around the events that had transpired. The question her life revolved around, the question that was always the first in her mind, repeated itself over and over again… Why…? Why was it always her? Why did she never understand anything? The question seemed to revolve in her head, becoming louder and louder until the only thing she could her was her own voice, repeating the question aloud. She stopped herself abruptly, blushing and looking around to make sure no one heard her. It wasn't a good idea to wander around talking to herself, people would look at her funny. She bit her tongue to stop the thoughts that lay on the tip of it and walked a little faster. Phoenix's mind failed to know where she was possibly headed, it could only see as far as her immediate surroundings. Her walking pace slowed as the town faded from view. She breathed a sigh of relief, all of those weird encounters were behind her now.

She heard a yell from somewhere around her but couldn't make out what it was about or who could possibly be yelling at such an absurd time of day. But once again. Someone yelled and she registered said yell with a male. His voice pierced the silence, causing Phoenix to think dully that at least he made her trip interesting. She scanned her area for any sign of this voice or the body it belonged to, that is, saying he had one. Quite abruptly, she heard nothing and her legs came to a stop, her feet rooted to the spot. It would be safer not to move before she knew who the voice belonged to. Before she could spend too long on this thought, another male voice yelled out, as if in retaliation to something. Then, she heard what was causing the two males to yell out, for this voice was much louder and allowed her to pinpoint their location. She quietly picked her way through the fields and crept up the hill. Below it was a valley and in it, she could see three men. The first had a scar on his left cheek and flowing brown hair. She couldn't take too much of his appearance in as she had caught the group in a fight. The other man had black hair but part of it stuck up, leading her to wonder if he used gel or cement to keep it in place. The third was the most frightening, as he was ugly, tall, and extremely bulky. He screamed again, wielding such a massive weapon, it had to weight five times as much as she did.

"WORMS! You DARE to surround me?! FACE MY WRATH!" The male creature yelled at the two men. Approaching fast, he swung the weapon around with so much speed, Phoenix watched, enthralled that the effort did not break his back. He caught the guy with gelled hair by the ankles and she winced as if it had been her. He fell with a crash and did not get up. She watched the procession with wide eyes, she could almost feel her sword itching to come out of its sheath. She knew that she had another sword in the sheath as well but she didn't think she'd need two, that is, if she were going to help them. Her eyes continued to watch the fight play out and see if they needed her. The brown haired boy paused to dodge a blow aimed at his head and doge rolled on the floor towards his fallen comrade.

"Maxi! Wake up!" He somersaulted out of the way again as the axe came down hard. His fighting stick held in his hand, he stood up quickly and took a lunging step at the huge axe-wielding creature. The weapon had no effect, predictably, and bounced right off his huge bulk. The creature laughed, the sound out of control and low pitched. The boy winced and tried to jab at what seemed to be the thing's weak point but it already had him figured out by then and grabbed him by the hair. The boy moaned in agony. Her eyes looked closer at him and she noticed that he was severely injured, so was his comrade. She stared in horror and decided, regardless of the fact that she had wanted nothing to do with people, that she would help this boy. Backing up some meters, she took a running jump, making no noise as she did so. She pulled her sword out of its sheath and slashed at the creature's back. The attack caught it by surprise and it howled in pain as it dropped the boy on to the ground. It turned, its feet thumping heavily on the ground below the four of them.

"You… WORM!" She decided he must like that word a lot for he proceeded to use it again. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN ATTACK ME LIKE THAT, WORM?! PREPARE TO BE DEFEATED, WORM!" She rolled her eyes but her insides shook as he talked, his voice echoing in the night air. The boy groaned from the ground but she could offer him nothing. Her mind doing a quick calculation, she was at least half this thing's height which meant he either had a very big advantage, or a very big disadvantage. She swallowed as he hurled his weapon at her body. She used size to her advantage and ducked onto the ground. She rolled towards the boys, lamenting on the fact that she would have to wash her clothes again after this was over. She whirled around, her weapon slashing into his back once again. Not waiting for a reply, Phoenix put the sword hilt in her mouth and jumped on to the creature's back and held on for dear life around his neck. Not caring to even think about what he would do to her if he got the chance, she grabbed her sword with both hands and plunged it into his spinal cord. She didn't know how deep it went in but the howl of agony was so great, she fell off his back as she covered her ears. No apparently weaponless to him, he reached back and grabbed the sword out of his back and threw it behind him where it hit the unconscious Maxi.

She tried not to look into his eyes as she ran forward, her body taut and ready to strike at this enemy. She jumped on to his fist and as his weapon came back around to his her, she jumped on to that as well. The momentum was great and she had a slight panic as she jumped off of it. She timed herself right but the man thing had seen right through her motives and grabbed her ankle. He twirled her around in the air and threw her to an opposite wall at the far end of the valley. She hit it with a sickening crunch and she felt all of the bones in her left arm shatter. Screaming from the impact, she would've fainted if it weren't for her will to continue to remain conscious. Amazingly, as she looked down, she saw her arm turn bright blue, light encompassing it until it shown with light. In a few seconds, she felt all the pain recede from that arm and marveled as she lifted it up a little and realized that all of her bones had somehow miraculously healed. It was only after she went to stand that she felt dizzy and knew that such a healing process had sapped her of her energy. Her will was not about to broken, however, as she grinned at the beast.

"You… YES, MASTER!" The creature suddenly lowered its weapon and sent her the kind of look that scorches. It jumped out of the valley and was out of sight before she could call after it or slow it down. She had not been expecting it to just turn away and run like that, let alone yell out the word, 'master'. It was all a little freaky to her. She watched and waited until she heard groans from the other two people in said valley. She tensed as she faced them but realized, as she saw, that they were both out cold and seriously injured. She ran over and leaned over them, her hands over the boy who had brown hair. Then, to her amazement, the same blue light that had healed her appeared over the boy. She tried to draw back but it grew bigger and encompassed the other boy as well. She tried to cut it off, tried to stop it, but it was all to no avail. The blue light began its healing process and she couldn't help but watch in wonder as it healed both boys of their previous fatal wounds. Knowing what was coming, the blue light disappeared. Through her eyes, she saw the boy nearest her open his eyes but that was all she was awake for as her body finally gave way and she fainted into a cold sensation.

Awakening, she felt stiff and unable to move correctly. Her whole body felt like an experiment gone wrong and found her limbs to be as heavy as an extremely large boulder. She forced herself to sit up only to feel a pair of cool hands push her back down on to the ground. She tried to protest but the hands were far too powerful for her current state. She sighed as she hit ground again and her eyes closed, her mind embracing sleep.

Next she knew, she was awake and it was the middle of the night. Her eyes saw the stars twinkling at her from the sky, their light radiating on to her face. She blinked slowly this time, she felt slightly better. Her body didn't feel nearly as heavy, she could almost stand. She chose, instead, to sit up in the event that her body wasn't in a condition to stand. Feeling happy by her decision, she realized that her body had indeed been weak for she shook with the effort to maintain an upright position.

"Whoa, you're awake?" The male voice was talking right in her ear and she heard it get more distant as the boy must've turned away for he continued talking. "Kilik, the girl's awake now!" She heard an abrupt answer that sounded like, are her wounds okay. She assumed this must be Maxi who was so close to her as she watched his figure nod. The other boy came into the clearing and into the light of the fire. She got her first look at his face and noticed that he was far better looking than she had taken him for. She rubbed the thought out of her mind, a lot of boys were good looking but she paid them no head. The other boy was looking at her in wonder and amazement as if she were some sort of immortal girl. Now that she reflected on it, she had healed all of their wounds so wouldn't it stand to reason that they would think her something along those lines? Kilik sat down next to Maxi so that both boys were across from her.

"Finally; you awoke earlier, I don't know if you remember, but you were still healing. At least you're much better now. I'm glad." He ended with a smile that both boys seemed to share, leading her to wonder if they were brothers. But it could not be so because as she looked at them both in detail, she noticed that Maxi's face was more angular than Kilik's. He continued his sentence, as if her staring was normal. "So, as you guessed, my name is Kilik and his is Maxi. What's yours?" He had apparently decided that she was no enemy as she had helped them both out in their fight against that thing. That was, of course, not mentioning that she had saved them.

"…Phoenix… Now that introduction's settled, could you tell me where I am or shall I guess?" Her immediate surroundings were not the ones she had fainted in and it looked to her as if they had set up camp in a secluded part of the open fields. Her voice was already pepped up even though she had just woken up, both boys exchanged glances. It was Maxi who answered first, however.

"Nice to meet you. Right now, you're in the middle of Alsmara." Alsmara?! She shot up urgently, her legs screaming in protest as she teetered on the spot. Maxi rushed up at once and forced her to sit back down as her eyes got wider and wider. She tried to shake her head but her mind started to pound out memories, none of which she could stop. Alsmara… She shouldn't be here, she had promised herself she would never come back to this place. Because it was here that her parents… She swallowed at the sudden lump in her throat and shook her head so violently that her hair managed to whack both Kilik and Maxi in their faces.

"I need to leave. Thank you for your hospitality but I cannot stay here any longer. Unless you plan on moving, this is where we part ways." She attempted to stand up again but was stopped by both boys this time. Owing to the awkward position she had been in, Maxi's hand didn't end up on her shoulder but went a little lower than that. Her expression was flabbergasted. While he had effectively stopped her from moving, he had also just destroyed her sense of innocence. Grabbing her sword hilt, she whacked him upside the head. As soon as the movement was over, she winced against the sudden pain that filled her arm. It didn't look like she'd be able to fight well for the next few days. She shook her head, watching Maxi fall with a thud and Kilik slap his forehead with an exasperated expression on his face.

"Okay, that was extremely awkward. Listen, you're in no state to move. What's wrong with Alsmara?" He looked at her with bright, inquisitive eyes that bore into her own and made her feel like wanting to answer. Her words came out so hissed it was a wonder he could hear them.

"There are things that people hold in their hearts so it doesn't hurt them. So—"But, before she could even continue, she heard Maxi give a muffled gasp. While she hadn't been watching him, he had rolled away down the side of the hill. His gasp was incredibly loud and caught both hers and Kilik's attention. They turned towards him as Maxi came hurrying over, his face no longer red.

"Guys, guys! There's an unconscious kid! He looks like he's been knocked out!" Her heart skipped two beats as she thought that perhaps this was her chance to see him after so long. She hated herself immediately, hadn't she told herself that he wasn't the one for her and she could never fall for him? She shook the rapid thoughts out of her head and told herself that it was a lie. What were the odds of running into a boy with death labeled on his forehead? She vaguely heard Kilik and Maxi exchange quick comments as both went back down the hill. They appeared moments later carrying the form of the boy she had thought about almost every day since she left her home town. She withdrew her breath so fast, the others looked at her. Her hands shot up over her mouth and ignoring the pain, she ran over to him as he was lowered on the ground. Her hair brushed his face as she bent down, causing him to stir. She stopped breathing as his eyes opened slowly and turned to face her.


	4. Author's Side Note

**A Little Side Note**

**As per the reason that I don't leave comments or give credits.**

**This story is my NaNoWriMo story so I don't actually take time to add little comments and such to flare up the story. I'm not really that type of girl. However, I realized I might be breaking the fourth wall and also some copyright rules that might be connected to this story. Leave it to me to actually do something so stupid. I don't own Soul Calibur or any characters that go along with it, it's owned by Namco. I'm sorry for not writing this so I promise to do it from here on out. In the meantime, please excuse me for the lack of comments after and before the story. Reviews, comments, feedback, mostly anything is appreciated. A writer can't grow without critique! With that being said, thank you!**


	5. Chapter Three – Reunification of Souls

**Hehe, this is what I forgot to say... Nyah, nyah. I do NOT own Soul Calibur or any characters, Namco does. Read and review!**

**Chapter Three – Reunification of Souls**

She stared at the red eyes that were so filled with death and coldness; his face was extremely calm and almost gentle. He had auburn hair with red streaks running through it, almost like highlights. His hair was long and slightly untamed, but all of this made him better looking. He had a sharp face along with pointy ears. She suspected if she saw his teeth, they would be pointed. He wore a medieval-like tunic, made of silk like material. It had a high collar and no sleeves. The edges were outlined. Parts of his shoulders were obscured as he wore a long cloak that covered his back. Cloth like material was wrapped around his wrists and his left upper arm. He wore a belt around his waist. Underneath the tunic were tight pants. He wore long fighting style boots that went up his calves. He had an earring in his ear and when she looked closer, she noticed its design was a lion. He blinked quickly as he stared her in the face and sat up. It was then she noticed blood spiraling down his chest from a wound that seemed far too deep to still be alive from.

"…Phoenix…? Are you… Phoenix…?" He stared at her as if she were the only thing existing in this world. She hesitantly nodded to the question, wondering what his reaction would be. She saw his mouth curve in his characteristic grin as he continued to stare at her. With no warning at all, he hugged her close to him and her mind relished the thought that he was so close to her, that his warmth surrounded her. She hugged him back, tears falling down her face and splashing on the ground. Her eyes snapped open as she thought of the weird blue light that appeared whenever she or someone near her was injured. She pulled away equally fast but saw no blue light coming from her hands. She felt empty without him being there but for the moment, she figured it safe not to touch him.

"Hang on…" Kilik's words brought both of them back to reality as they looked at him. "You guys know each other?" He looked at a loss for words, predictably, anyone would've been. Maxi scratched his chin as he looked at the two of them and a smile etched on his face, but it was a knowing smile, one she didn't really like. They both nodded at him as her friend brought her close to him again, his scent filling her brain.

"Eh… Of all the places to find a person you know… Phoenix, c'mon, you have to lie back down. Your wounds will never heal if you keep on moving around like that." She ignored Maxi's words as she stared into her companion's eyes, eyes that only shone with light when they looked at her. She heard both boys sigh and felt Kilik take her arm and pull her away slightly. She let herself be taken over to her makeshift bed but was too excited to even consider sleeping. She stared in wonder at the sight that was so impossibly real. He shook his head as she showed every implication of running towards him and asking him tons of questions. Maxi watched this non-verbal exchange before thrusting something in her hands.

"Anyway, this'll help you get your sleep. You gotta drink all of it but it'll help. We got it from a clinic in the last town so drink up." He forced some of it down her mouth and she sputtered. But as she had already started drinking it, she felt the effects starting. She gulped down the rest and threw a look at Kilik and Maxi before her eyes dropped closed. She felt her body slip on to the soft covers and her mind knew nothing but a dark sleep.

"...name is that? Your name means devil!" The voice registered in her mind and she wished it had not been the first thing that she had heard when she had awakened. She heard the indignation in Maxi's voice (she could tell it was him because it sounded incredibly sarcastic and a little whiny) as he commented on her friends name. She could almost imagine him with his eyes closed, a characteristic grin on his face. She listened more intently, not keen on opening her eyes just yet.

"Huh, well, what can you do when your parents straddle you with a name like Akuma and then try to take it back but realize they can't? The name makes for good killing jokes, though." He could be grinning, most likely, he probably was. It would be so like him to grin while talking about how much he hated his name. She was ready to open her eyes but something inside of her forced her not to open them, knowing that this moment would not be advantageous to her. The conversation continued, if either had seen or heard her stir, their voices gave no signs.

"Maxi, you should stop being so rude. It does terrible things to your already terrible personality." Kilik's voice sounded bored and she could almost imagine him rolling his eyes at Maxi while Maxi bonked him lightly with his fist. It struck her odd that she could already predict what her current companions would do even though she had only known them for a little more than four days. She did not make any movements as she continued to listen, ready to interrupt if it shifted to her. To her utmost surprise, she heard Akuma's voice sound in her ears as if he were sitting right next to her. She chanced it and opened one eyes a tiny crack. She saw him sitting right next to her and he was playing with the ends of her hair. His eyes went to look at her so she quickly closed her own. She heard him chuckle and wondered if she knew she was awake. Then she realized he was probably doing it in response to what he just said. In any event, the conversation continued.

"Her hair is soft… Anyway, where'd you find her?" He probably was looking at her because she could feel the heat radiate off of her cheeks. She chanced a look to see that he was effectively blocking her face from view. He winked at her and she blinked slowly at him before closing her eyes in feigned unconsciousness.

"I don't know if we can even trust you… But since she seems to and she saved our lives, I suppose we can spare some your way." The arrogant voice of Maxi sounded through the silence of the night in response to Akuma's question. Akuma must've ignored him for she heard him shift slightly and demand shortly what had happened. It was Kilik who responded, if somewhat hesitantly.

"We were fighting Astaroth. It wasn't going so well. Both Maxi and I were injured very badly from another fight with Zasalamel. We were about to get beaten when she jumped out of nowhere. She came from the cliffs right above the valley and started fighting." Through her half opened eyes, she saw Kilik rub his arm as he was talking. Maxi appeared to be interested in continuing the story as he picked up where his companion left off.

"So, then the girl comes and starts beating him! It was pretty impressive! In the middle of the fight, she starts getting beaten, y'know? Then, out of nowhere, this blue light appears and heals her, just like that!" He snapped his fingers with a sort of annoying sound and slapped his fingers on his knee. Kilik decided to cut him off, feeling he was doing the story too much shame. Indeed he was.

"Ugh, let me tell it. She started to fight but was wounded in her left arm. All her bones must've shattered but it was only at the moment she got hurt that a blue light encompassed that arm and when it was gone, she was fully healed. Astaroth must've gotten scared or something because he ran off without so much as a backwards glance. She crawled over to where we were and that weird blue light got us too. I don't think she meant for it to do that, I don't even think she can control it. It healed us but she fainted, most likely from lack of energy." Her story had sounded much better in Kilik's verbal language. Maxi made the story sound like a sort of action novel, which this most certainly wasn't. Akuma seemed to share the same opinion for her listened much closer to Kilik than he listened to Maxi. Maxi looked slightly disgruntled by this but tried to redeem himself by pointing out that Phoenix was conscious.

"Well, that's a load of bullchevick. Anyhow, Phoenix, you're awake? How long have you been?" Phoenix glared at Maxi with so much force, he whimpered and didn't say anything else. Stupid, sarcastic kid with his stupid elvis style hair. Kilik did not seem to think much of his company either as he rolled his eyes and nodded towards her. Akuma scratched his nose in a would-be innocent manner and grinned down at her, causing her heart to speed up several paces and cause her brain to suddenly become unable to process any information. He looked up from her eyes and shook his head at Maxi before starting to comment.

"That certainly helped. I'm guessing you expect some sort of equivalent exchange?" The other two nodded and he sighed, continuing. "Very well. I can't really tell you that much, only that I've been searching for Phoenix for ages since we got separated. I've been on a quest involving candy, children with bad attitudes, and really bad inn beds." This was certainly no fair exchange as she noted in her head. She rolled her eyes at him; he was always so sarcastic when times called to be serious. She bit her lip to keep from smiling as he sent her a characteristic look of his sarcastic, if slightly sadistic, nature. Maxi's voice was slightly annoying as he kept on whining and whining about how unfair this whole situation was and how he deserved some answers for helping to save her life. Kilik was trying to make him be quiet, but such an attempt was futile as his voice was far too whiny. She raised her eyebrows up further so they became buried in her bangs while Kilik attempted to continue the conversation.

"Well, that's… interesting…" He paused to clear his throat briefly before glancing over at Phoenix and noticing that she was awake as well. "Good to see you're awake, Phoenix. How are you feeling?" He looked slightly hesitant as he asked her the question, she did not realize why until she saw that Akuma was gazing at him with murder in his eyes. She sent him a look to make him stop before turning her attention back to her questioner.

"I'm okay, I think. But, I really don't want to stay here. So, unless you plan on staying, I'm really set on leaving." The other three gazed at her in surprise and she gazed right back, determinedly meeting their gazes. Akuma stood up and grabbed her by her hands, forcing her to stand on her feet in order to avoid lurching. With some quick words of departure, he began to take her back towards their hometown. She tried to stop him but such a feat was ridiculous to even try as she was weaker than she normally was. She gave up resisting and upon doing so, felt the grip on her hand loosen, if but slightly. He led her to the edge of the town, far away enough so the others wouldn't see them but close enough so they could see the camp fire.

"I'm only going to ask you this once, so listen up, Phoenix." He began with a curt voice that snapped her attention right on him. "What was that blue light that activated earlier?" She felt her insides deflate, she thought perhaps he was going to tell her he loved her. But she cleared the fluff from her head, those were just girlie dreams. She watched his eyes look into hers before she answered, this time, truthfully. The truth was, she knew where the light came from. But if she pretended to be clueless, then no one would suspect anything, right? She took a deep breath and forced the words out through her lips.

"I… The light seemed to come from inside me, you know what I mean?" In seeing he didn't, she pointed her index finger to her chest and slowly moved it outwards to the area around them. He nodded that he understood and she could continue. "It sort of pulsated from inside and came out from me. It seems to always do so when I'm hurt or someone around me is hurt. That's why I drew back earlier, I didn't want it healing you and then I would be weak again." She stopped as he looked at her in an inquisitive manner. She drew in breath and waited for him to say something. He took a few moments before telling her.

"I was staring at you… Because it seems as if I also have that ability. But I do not heal others," He added as she showed every sign of interrupting. "I take their energy to help me." She stopped in midstream from interrupting and instead just stared at him, slightly appalled. He continued, seeing as she was in no state to do so. "Okay, what do you feel when that blue light appears?" He asked her. She took a few seconds to respond, calculating her thoughts as she did so.

"Eh, I feel something nice. Like I want to help people, like it's my job to protect—Oh! I didn't tell you, did I? Speaking of instincts, I have to tell you about something that happened to me earlier. It happened about a week ago but still…" She knew she was avoiding the question, apparently he thought so to because she saw him pinch his nose once before she started accounting on her encounter with Tira. He listened without interrupting her one minute and still gazed into her eyes as if she was the only thing that existed. She told him of the match she had had at the ring, to which she earned a congratulations. She told of how she had left and met up with Talim and Xianghua. Finally, she told the thrilling part about Tira and about how she had run-in to their current travel companions. He did not inquire any questions until she was finished. He began with a simple one.

"Ah-ha, you were totally scared and ran away! I should've seen it! How on earth did you NOT get raped? If I had been Tira, I totally would've done you in!" He started to laugh at her while her cheeks turned red and she tried not to think about what he just said. He noticed her blushing and laughed even harder at her while she glared through eyes that were not quite overly angry with him. She was trying her utmost not to smile; he knew her well enough that once that happened, he'd have her in the palm of his hand. She held back anger and started to talk more.

"God damn it, Akuma! You always laugh when I don't need you to—"She got cut off as he put a hand on her cheek as if he were about to do something. Her heart began to pound in her chest wildly as she stared up into his fathomless eyes. It was sudden but she felt him tap her lightly with his palm before grinning.

"Aw, little Phoenix got her hopes up I was going to do something!" He began to laugh at her again and her cheeks flushed, but this time, out of raw frustration. She tried to slap him across the cheek but instead lightly punched him in his shoulder. He winced at her attack and after a few minutes, his persistent laughs subsided. He wiped his eyes and started again in a much more serious tone. "Sorry, couldn't help but poke fun at you. It's been so long since we argued like that, do you remember?" Of course she remembered, why wouldn't she remember? She remembered everything about him and every moment they had spent together. Her mind glimpsed back to the moments they laughed together and she smiled slowly, remembering with a feeling of happiness in her chest.

"Yeah, I remember. I also remember how I pushed you into the water for no other reason than to see you struggle!" She started cracking up with laughter and now he was the one that was pouting. He bonked her lightly on the head, which got her to be quiet. He sent one look at the sky before scratching his nose and his tone became much more serious as he began to talk again.

"On a much more serious note… Phoenix… How do you feel about me?" Her smile became frozen on her face; she was caught by surprise by his question. He was so direct at times! Knowing this time she couldn't just rub him off with another side story, she tried to instead look distracted. He wasn't fooled as he put his hands on her cheek and he made her turn to look at him. She gulped and nervously laughed, shaking her head in a slow motion.

"Um… why…?" She asked. He rolled his eyes at her but did not answer, forcing her to continue. "Eh… This is totally embarrassing… Erm… You're a friend!" He looked at her so sternly that she immediately felt guilty for lying.

"You liar. If that were true, you would've told me right away and your face wouldn't be beet red. Let me try again. Do you like me?" She suddenly found that she couldn't breathe and her mind seemed to be going into overload. If she didn't process words soon, he would either do something she would be okay with or push her away and give up on her. She would take choice one, if only she could get the words out. He saw she would not be answering and answered for her.

"I know the answer's yes, Phoenix. I need to give you a warning, because you're not safe. Loving me is not safe. If you don't want to end up dead, then stay away. How you could even like the person who murdered your parents is beyond me…" She ignored his slight disapproval for her feelings. Feeling it terribly stupid to keep up a guise as if she didn't like him, she bit back embarrassment and started to talk.

"I don't care! It's been too long! I'm really happy just being with you!" Her words did not go unnoticed; she noticed him tense slightly and saw him fight back a small smile. She saw it uncurl, however briefly, before he withdrew it so she could not see it.

"You make some pretty awful choices, Phoenix." He said as he grinned, unable to hold back the smile any longer. Her eyes flashed with the decision she had made as he looked at her half in wonder and half with wariness at her incredibly rash decisions. He looked as if he were ready to say something else but was interrupted by a sound that came from somewhere near their camp site. She sent him one look before he grabbed her by the hand and the two of them turned towards the noise. They began to run, she did not display an overly eager attitude as hesitance wormed its way into her legs. They rounded the corner and stopped slightly to catch breath before they both looked up to see the disturbance.


	6. Chapter Four – A Separating Breeze

**VideogameFangir l- Ah... What was I thinking when I named this chapter? And what is it with me and cliff hangers?  
****AznHalfBreed - I dunno, since when was I included in this?  
****VideogameFangirl - Since I said so, Masshuu. (not his name, it's a nickname) So, read and review!  
****AznHalfBreed - Yeah.... Critque... Hey, Haruhi...  
****VideogameFangirl - Huh?  
AznHalfBreed - Aren't you forgetting something?  
VideogameFangirl - Oh yeah, crap! Right, I don't own Soul Calibur or any characters, Namco does. I wish I did... I could get money off of it big time...  
AznHalfBreed - ...**

**Chapter Four – A Separating Breeze**

With a slight intake of breath, she saw that a new threat had materialized. It seemed to be made completely out of flame and was standing over both Kilik and Maxi, a truly sadistic look on its face. She pulled up short and had just enough time to see that both boys were in defensive position before Akuma stepped in front of her and began walking towards the creature. Phoenix realized what was happening all too late as he got close to the beast. She made to stop him but he put a hand out to stop her from moving towards him. The thing turned to face them, it glared at Phoenix but upon seeing Akuma, its expression faltered and he suddenly lost all malice in its face.

"S…Soul Edge!" It cried as it looked at Akuma. Phoenix chanced one glance at her friend and saw, deep within his eyes, such murder, such cruelty, it seemed almost impossible that this was the same boy who had looked at her with such love. It seemed genuinely scared as he backed up two paces as it stared at her companion. Both Kilik's and Maxi's faces registered surprise as they heard the words uttered from the monster. Phoenix, on the other hand, had absolutely no idea what it was talking about and continued to stare after the procession of events with a blank face. Akuma's eyes narrowed into slits as he raised his eyebrows as the creature that had continued its persistence after them.

"…Stupid creature… How will your life turn out when I kill you?" He said with malice underlined in every word. Phoenix heard before she saw what was about to happen. The sound of lightening rang in her ears and she looked to Akuma and noticed something materializing in his left hand. She watched as the lightening turned red and began to morph into the shape of a sword. She felt her own swords, hidden in the folds of her kimono, began to vibrate, as if in response to what he was summoning. The lightening took form and solidified into the very form of a sword that bore no true color. She gazed at it and noticed that it was unlike any swords she had ever seen. It had no engravings, no markings, and seemed as if it had never seen battle. But as she gazed longer, she saw markings began to etch into the sword and saw blood stains become prominent on it. Its original silver color turned a deep blood red and hints of orange surrounded the hilt. He raised it in front of his body, his smile cruel and unforgiving. The thing then did the one thing that she had not been expecting it to do, given the way it had presented itself. It fell to its knees before Akuma and looked up with wonder and amazement. (the ground shook terribly, she nearly fell over at the sudden movement of its body)

"I have looked everywhere for you! But to see you in such a form… Please, allow me to share in your power!" Akuma's eyes narrowed further into slits, she wondered how he could look out of his eyes. His face was so frightening that she suddenly felt a tugging in her gut and looked down to see blue light emitting from inside her kimono. She reached inside and withdrew her sword. But upon unsheathing such, she noticed it was not the sword she was accustomed to. It was blue and silver at the same time and shone with an inner brilliance. She felt it vibrate towards Akuma's own blade and felt it want to destroy it, destroy the sword named Soul Edge. On impulse, probably because she saw Akuma go to take a step towards the creature, she suddenly wanted to stop him and everything that could possibly endanger him. She didn't want him to kill anymore. As he took a step nearer, his sword began to rise in a way that indicated his mood to kill. She had to stop him.

"No, Akuma!" She ran at him and hugged him to her tightly. He was so surprised that his expression showed it. She looked down to see that their swords had clashed with each other. Worry knotted in her gut and she removed her sword away from his with great difficulty, it was as if the two wanted to continue to fight. Akuma turned to face her, murder etched in his face and his eyes wide in his former surprise.

"Phoenix, can't you accept help?! I'm trying to protect you—"But she refused to let him continue, she didn't want him hurt. She raised her voice so that it became louder than his.

"I don't care! Even… Even if it is a killer, don't kill other people or things because you can! You can't just—"His agitation had reached high levels at this point and he pushed her away so that she toppled on to the ground. She refused to give up, she would not allow another murder on his hands. She stood up with flourish and with blue fire in her eyes; she sized him up and glared right back. Seeing how she stubborn she had turned, he lowered his voice to a trying calm to try to get her to stop.

"I… want to protect you. The only way to do that is to eliminate everything that threatens to kill you. This thing," Here he paused to shoot a look at the flame monster that still was upon the ground, looking up in stunned silence. It wasn't even glaring, which came as a surprise. "…Would kill you if I weren't here. It would kill you without second thought. And you have the stupidity to stand up for it?" She felt tears in her eyes as she finally let him go and separated herself from him, sorrow in her eyes. Kilik and Maxi had been silent during this whole exchange and resolutely refused to say anything. Upon seeing her break down, however, Kilik seemed to snap back into reality and rushed over to comfort her, Maxi lagging slightly behind. Akuma stood staring at the procession as Kilik patted her on the shoulder, trying to console her. It did not work as she pushed them away as well and took a few paces back.

"I want you… TO STOP!" She screamed the last words with a terrible ringing force that she aimed at everything in her area. She continued to scream after the words left her mouth and bright light began to encompass her body. Akuma looked stunned as he raised an arm to defend his face from the light. Kilik and Maxi did the same thing as they both kneeled on the ground for better protection. The menacing creature that had suddenly attacked them began to shriek as well. She saw, rather, she heard as she could not see at this point, the creature explode into thousands of tiny little pieces. She still stood where she was, the sounds still coming from her throat. She did not stop until Akuma yelled her name at her and she closed her mouth. The light immediately disappeared from their area.

She cracked open one eye and peaked at what she had done. To her utmost surprise, she saw that the land had been purged of any remnants of the creature. What was more, her sword, as well as Akuma's, had disappeared. He was kneeling on the ground, wincing at intervals, as he looked up at her, his eyes vacant and without much feeling. She was stunned by what she had just done and fell to her knees and leaned on her hands for support. Akuma tried to get up but winced so terribly that he could not move. She crawled over to him but he was able to put up a hand to signal that she was not to come closer to where he was. She stood up quite quickly and ignoring the glances form her companions, she turned on her heel and ran. She ran, not knowing why she did so, but continued along. She grabbed her things at the camp site and kept dashing onwards. She heard Maxi's voice call her name but she ignored him and kept up her gallop of denial. She soon heard another pair of feet chasing after her, the strides much longer than hers. She tried to run faster but could not get away in time and felt the figure latch on to her arm. She resisted and struggled but to no avail.

"P…Phoenix… Stop running away." By the voice, she could tell it was Akuma. She felt him wince and wondered how much pain he was in from running after her. The longer he touched her, the more she felt like fainting. She tottered on the spot and he immediately let go of her wrist. She turned to face him, only to find him on the floor. Energy was coursing out of the things nearest them, going into the body of Akuma. She suddenly understood what he meant when he said he took energy out of the things nearest him. He looked up, her eyes full of sorrow, and stood, looking slightly healthier than he had.

"Akuma, why…?"He stared at her and blinked his eyes in a slow motion. The happiness she had felt upon seeing him after so long began to ebb out of her, replaced by frustration and an incredible urge to know the truth of what had just happened. He noticed such a feeling in her eyes and stepped closer to her. Phoenix tensed at his movement; he noticed this as well for regret began to fill his face.

"I regret how you feel…I cannot remain around you much longer, Phoenix…But I will return. For now, I leave you this." She had no idea what he was getting at and nothing could have prepared her for what he did next. He leaned in and he kissed her on her lips, the kiss surprisingly soft for what had just transpired. She tasted his warm scent in her mouth before she began to feel faint once again. Her heart rate had shot up incredibly, her blood pounding in her ears. His hand immersed in her hair, briefly, he held her closer. Then, she felt her mind go black and her eyes closed in what she knew to be unconsciousness. He broke off and before she fell into darkness completely, he whispered soft words into her ear that she knew she would never forget. "I love you, Phoenix."

Soft… The feeling of soft grass was once again below her. She remained in this dazed state for some time, her mind slow in comprehending what had happened. And then, out of nowhere, she felt her mind crash with the forces of reality and she felt memories tumble back down on her. They filled her and made it hard for her to breath, she wanted to struggle against this sudden onslaught but found she couldn't. She felt her body lean up extremely quickly as she shot up into sitting position. The movement brought her companions aware that she was awake once again. She thought of Akuma, the thought of his presence being so close to her own sliced into her consciousness. But the figures began to focus more in her eyes and she noticed it was only Kilik and Maxi.

"Finally, I was worried you'd never wake up. You've been out for a week." A whole week?! The surprise showed on her face, even though she had yet to say something. She had been out of it for that long? What was it with her and fainting for the past two weeks?! IF fainting wanted to be friends, she really needed to slap it across the face. She breathed hard in order to regain control of herself. She spoke softly, through a voice she did not recognize.

"What happened when I fainted…?" She asked slowly. Kilik seemed at unease, as if he did not want to answer what she had to say. It was Maxi who spoke up, Maxi who spoke of the injustice that probably still rankled inside of his gut.

"That bastard! When we got to you, you had fainted upon the ground and there was nothing we could do. He had ditched… Damn him! He didn't even do anything to save you!" Maxi was so irritated that he raised his fists and slammed them down on the ground extremely hard. He looked frustrated at what had happened to her and shook with restrained anger. Kilik resumed where he had left of, feeling it imperative to continue talking as to stop the awkward silence.

"What we're trying to say his that he sort of left you behind… Are you sure you guys are friends?" He asked tentatively. Phoenix felt like rolling her eyes but she knew that sarcasm was not the best route to take at this particular moment. She instead gritted her teeth before answering, Akuma's words ringing in her ears. _I love you, Phoenix_. Just those four words threw her completely off balance and made her unable to think right. She forced herself to respond to his comment, although it came out a bit muffled due to her gritted teeth.

"Of course we're friends, are you that stupid you can't tell?" She was getting on the defensive now, due to her frustration. Hers was almost as high as Maxi's, as both boys saw. Kilik decided to speak up again, perhaps to calm both his friend and her down.

"We didn't mean any offence… But what exactly happened? Is he really Soul Edge? And more importantly, are you Soul Calibur?" She felt herself un-tense at once, her face registering nothing except dumb shock. She sat there, unable to comment. What exactly was Soul Edge? And Soul Calibur? What were these two swords that the two of them spoke of? How could she possibly be something that she hadn't even known to exist up until now? She could not voice these concerns, the way both boys were looking at her made her feel uncomfortable.

"You _do_ know what these swords are, right?" Said Maxi with some trepidation now. Phoenix felt it imperative to tell them that she, in fact, had no idea what the hell they were talking about. She shook her head, causing her lilac hair to bounce around her body and fall down to the ground in an elegant manner. They both watched it as it seem to hover before it fell to the ground. Maxi cleared his throat and scratched his nose, Kilik, on the other hand, said nothing and made no movements. She decided to initiate the conversation as she saw no one else would.

"How am I supposed to know? You saw my expression; I have no idea what Soul Edge could possibly be! And what is Soul Calibur, anyway? Is that a disease?" Despite the previous situation, she saw Maxi crack a grin at her last comment. He always liked comic relief and she figured this story needed some. Kilik rolled his eyes at the insane humor but began to talk.

"Soul Edge… Very well, I'll start from the beginning. Have you heard stories about a sword of power, one that would grant all your wishes?" He looked at her as she nodded. She had most certainly heard such stories but as they were nothing but utter crap, they weren't really worth her time. "Okay, so you know the basic story. Many men have sought out such a sword that would grant them incredible power because naturally, people are greedy. However, the sword turned out to be way different than people thought. It was evil reincarnated and destroyed the hearts of many a good people. Here's where it gets interesting." She raised her eyebrows. The story, it was interesting and intriguing, but what was he getting at?

"Another sword, named Soul Calibur, was created to combat the evil sword. Both of the powers were kept in check and the balance was restored. But then, something happened that no one expected. Thirteen years ago…" Here, she received a jolt. She was born thirteen years ago! "…The swords disappeared. It was said that the swords were reincarnated into the bodies of two young children, one a girl, the other, a boy. The purer of the two was blessed with Soul Calibur, the other, cursed with Soul Edge. Everything we've witnessed so far with you… It seemed probable that you would indeed be Soul Calibur." He waited, most likely for her to exclaim in happiness and yell, 'Of course!' But she never did. She was stunned, shocked, and silent. She was no Soul Calibur. What even gave them the right to think that?

"That's a nice joke. I think I would've known if I were the sword fated to defend people from Soul Edge, thank you very much." The two weren't done, now it was Maxi who spoke up.

"Well, you fell in love with him, didn't you? I mean, he was kissing you so…" He paused when he noticed her face was so red, heat was coming off of it. He continued on, feeling no sense of sympathy towards her. "Maybe because you have feelings for Soul Edge, you don't want to kill him!" Finally, his words snapped into place for her. On one hand, she loved Akuma so much it messed with her mind. On the other hand, she always felt an impulse to push him away and wipe him out. She wondered if these were the dual feelings of her personality, if these were the feelings that she felt so constantly.

"I…" Her gaze faltered and she was unable to fully comment on what he had just said. They both seemed to be waiting expectantly, as if waiting for her to finish her sentence. She suddenly felt a need to be free of the other two. She was always better off alone, hadn't her life proved this? She took a deep breath and thought only of Akuma as she proceeded to speak once again. "I can understand what you're getting at but please understand. I don't intend to look into what you just said. I might love him, but how does that prove he's Soul Edge and I'm Soul Calibur?" She got up, ready to grab her things and leave. It was as she stood up that she felt her previously injured arm throb in terrible pain. She winced and ran her hand over the wound. She tried not to stare at the blue light that emitted out of her hand as she ran it over the wound. She sighed again and looked up at the other two who, at the moment, were staring at her.

"Fine… You have a decent point… But what does it all mean?" She sat back down again, looking from Maxi to Kilik and back again, waiting for a response. The two looked at a lose for words. It wasn't until Maxi spoke up that they looked the remotest inspired to say something worthwhile.

"I dunno. It's al really weird, y'know? We end up fighting things we've never seen before and you pop out from nowhere with healing powers. What can Akuma do, by the way?" Maxi added on. Phoenix raised her eyebrows but felt, at least, that they deserved an answer. She briefly told them of his ability to absorb strength and how he couldn't easily die either. Kilik listened quite intently but still did not comment while Maxi stared with his mouth open. The two stayed like that for some time as she waited; the silence pressing upon her ears. She shook her head and stared at the night sky, the moon outlining the land with a silver hue.

"It's all very odd, yes…" Began Kilik, immediately drawing attention to him. "But I have a feeling that we won't find the answers that we are looking for just yet. Why don't we wait it out?" He suggested. Maxi didn't look too happy about this idea but Phoenix was contrarily in agreement. After all, finding answers to her mysterious life was all imperative to her.

"Sounds good. I need to rest so if you guys have nothing else to say…" She drew out her last words and looked between the two. They shook their heads so she crawled over to where her bed was. Making quite, quite sure the others had their backs turned; she took off the top layers of her kimono and slipped into an under-dress. Wishing them a good night, she turned over on her side and closed her eyes, ready for a break from reality in the wonderful world of dreams.

**---------------------------------------------------**

**AznHalfBreed - Any reason why you put in our conversation at the beginning, Yuna?  
VideogameFangirl - No, none at all! I was bored of writing sentences! Hope you liked it!**


	7. Chapter Five – Dreaming of Reality

**VideogameFangirl - Who starts a chapter with dialogue, anyway?  
AznHalfBreed - You do, you were the one who wrote it.  
VideogameFangirl - I was...? Oh yeah! Huh, why am I starting with a flashback?  
AznHalfBreed - I don't know, only you know, Nayru. I mean, I could be playing Final Fantasy IX, but NO, I have to sit here and write what I'm saying.  
VideogameFangirl - What's that supposed to mean?!  
AznHalfBreed - It means what I said. Anyway, I'll handle the talking this time so she don't go through copyright infringement. She do not own Soul Calibur or any characters, Namco does.  
VideogameFangirl - HEY! That was MY line of dialogue, you loser! Stupid half-breed cousin!  
AznHalfBreed - You're one too...  
VideogameFangirl - ... Shut up.**

**Chapter Five – Dreaming of Reality**

"…Kiritsu… Kiotsuke… Rei! Sensei!"

"Arigato gozaimasu!" The sounds of chairs screeching against the wooden floor filled the room as the Japanese class had finally ended. She got up and stretched, she was feeling good! Her average was the highest in this class. Glancing outside the window, she hurried. She would be late for meeting him at the back of the school. She hurried forward, past the students who were blocking her way. She spotted him standing alone, his hair blowing in the wind. She rushed over to greet him, a smile on her face.

"Akuma! Hey!" She said with eagerness in her voice. He stopped gazing at the sky and turned to face her. His eyes immediately turned warm as he laid them on her, as did her own. She ran over and hugged him, drawing several looks from the onlookers that were watching the procession. Akuma looked surprised by her sudden action but accepted her, nonetheless, and hugged her close to him. She smiled up at him when she pulled back, her eyes twinkling with their usual light.

"Wow, Phoenix," He began, watching her very closely for why she could possibly be so happy. "You seem really… excited today! What happened in your little class full of tiny seven year olds?" She pouted and jutted out her lower lip in an expression that she adopted whenever she pretended to be angry. She stopped hugging him and crossed her arms over her chest, staring up into his eyes.

"Boo! My day was disaterrific!" He raised his eyebrows even further at the word that she had just invented but as before, he ceased to comment. "Anyhow, I heard that a new ice cream store opened and I REALLY want to go to it! Food, food, it's something new, delicious, I want it! Oh, and I'm hungry!" He started to laugh at her attitude and she grinned fully at Akuma, waiting for him to do what he always did. He ran fingers through her hair and patted her on the head, the motion she had grown to love. He shook his head, his grin so wide that it filled his face.

"How cute, Phoenix. Okay, let's head over there." He grabbed her hand and began to lead her down the street in an almost jovial manner. He was really upbeat about what she had just said… Phoenix followed him, humming in low tones. Even though she was only a kid, she had been told she had a beautiful voice and to use it for good things. She continued to hum, more loudly than before, trying to impress and get his attention. He always called her an "ignorant little kid" because he was two years older than she. Therefore, today was just another attempt to get his attention and praise. He noticed what she was doing (it must've taken him at least ten minutes to pay attention to her!) and he smiled at her.

"Learning to sing, Phoenix? At least you can sing now. I remember you used to be so bad, I went tone death!" He started to laugh at her as he always did but this would not ruin _her_ good mood! They arrived sooner than expected at the ice cream store. Before he could stop her, she burst open the door and strode to the counter. She was too short to see over it and had to wait until he got there. He lifted her up in his strong arms and let her sit on the counter.

"HELLO! I want a strawberry ice cream with more cream than ice!" She sang at the top of her lungs. The waitress looked slightly baffled at this order and stood in a brief silence before nodding and writing the order down. "Wait, I also want whipped cream on that and… wait, I'm not done! With that, I want some coffee ice cream and caramel toppings! And put some chocolate peanut butter what-do-you-call-it's on that too!" She said in an extremely loud voice. Akuma rolled his eyes and repeated the order in proper English so that the lady would know what to get. She grinned, the two of them had been out to get food enough to know that she turned extremely pouty if she didn't have food _exactly_ the way she wanted it.

"The kid's done ordering so can I just have a large coffee ice cream cone?" The lady looked relieved that his order was nowhere near as complicated as hers but it was obvious this lady did NOT know how to eat ice cream. And she worked at an ice cream store too! Phoenix laughed in delight and jumped off the counter, eager for food and company. She grabbed Akuma by the hand and tugged him over to a nearby table. She forced him to sit down; he did so but looked quite disgruntled. After making sure that the stares had averted from the two of them, he turned to glare at her playfully.

"Jeez, can't take you ANYWHERE without you drawing unwanted attention to us." He sighed and shook his head in obvious disdain in correlation to what had happened to the two of them. She continued a stream of her hyper attitude, grinning like a crazy idiot.

"You know you love—OH! HERE IT COMES!" She stood up really fast and nearly toppled over. He waitress stood frozen with the food, unsure whether or not she should come closer to the hyper active girl with silver hair that shone lilac. Abandoning pretense, she ran over to the waitress and with skills from her training, grabbed both foods and twirled over to where Akuma was sitting, a totally indifferent expression on his face. He still looked unfazed as she handed him the food and continued to eat as if she hadn't just attacked the waitress. Everyone in the store was staring at them by now but as Phoenix had learned, they excused her because she was young. Sure enough, the people looked in disapproval and blamed her parents for her reckless behavior, not her. She grinned as she sipped her ice cream, finishing it and throwing the cup at the waitress, who caught it in frightened hands.

"I'm done! C'mon Akuma, we're out of here!" She ran forward out of the shop, waiting for him only so that he could pay for their dessert. He sighed and thanked them for their hospitality and hurried on after an impatient Phoenix. He sighed and placed a hand on her head, causing her to come to a stop.

"Calm down. You're far too hyper for someone who just got out of class. Keep that up and they won't want us to come back there ever again!" He said in a slightly joking manner. She nodded to his words and deflated her bubble of energy a bit. She skipped ahead, working some more of it off before running back and grabbing his hand.

"Okay, okay, let's play now!" A pang, something flickered. The scenery began to fade into something else. Her innocent form began to disappear from view, only to be replaced by a depressed version of the hyper girl. She was standing alone by the remnants of her previous home. Akuma had an arm around her shoulders and she was sobbing quietly into his shoulder.

"M-my parents are d-dead…" She said, sobbing through tears that obscured her vision. But Phoenix's real conscious probed into her dream, she was far too old. The Phoenix standing by the house must've been thirteen and she had not seen Akuma yet… It was with that thought that her dream memory faded and she awoke with a cold sensation.

Phoenix awoke with a start and shivered slightly as the cool, night air hit her with oncoming force. She was panting, breathing hard as memories of Akuma swirled around her head. She felt her face and noticed that fresh tears had stained it. She looked up and noticed that she must've only been sleeping for at least two hours; it was not yet the end of the night. She got up slowly and stretched, the memories still etched inside of her brain. She could not get the image of Akuma out of her head and the more she thought about him, the more she felt hurt. He… loved her. That was what he had said. Yet, how could he? If what the others said was true, than it would still be extremely dangerous for them to even be near each other. Yet, was love another way to balance out their powers? She vaguely wondered this to herself as she slipped into her usual attire.

Her desire to leave once again filled her mind. She glanced over at the other two, both of whom were fast asleep. With a slight smile in their direction, she let her mouth fall into a frown as she grabbed the things she had left behind. She made sure only to touch her things when the wind blew by so her movement would be masked. Quick as lightening, yet as quiet as snow, she grabbed her things and departed from the campsite. True, she had not fully healed yet but the longer she spent around them, the more risk Kilik and Maxi ran of getting killed. If she really was Soul Calibur, then it would be better for her not to stay around them. She placed her things on her back and set off up the hill, looking up at the moon, gazing at its beauty. She reached the top, still tottering on the edge of what she should or shouldn't do. She shook her head and pushed the indecisive thoughts out of her head. She head no leave, she had no true choice at this point. With one more look back, she walked into the darkness of the night and disappeared into its grasp.

It was the next day and she had traveled pretty far given her lack of sleep. She wondered what the others must be thinking now that she had run off. She shook the thoughts out of her head as she had done for so many others. She continued with flourish, eager to put distance between herself and her old companions. She did not want to think about what had just transpired nor about what could possibly happen to her now that she was alone. She looked upon her escape and wondered yet again if it had been worth it. Perhaps she should have stayed longer to make sure they didn't blab. Maybe she should've stayed to make sure they didn't tell anyone about her and Akuma. She shook her head for at least the third time since her thoughts on this had transpired, it was foolish to think so. She had to trust that they would not abuse the trust, if however small, that she had given them. If what she thought was true, they would not say anything, given due to the fact that she ha d saved both of their lives. She progressed along the landscape, the setting unfamiliar to her. She had done her bets to put distance between Alsmara and her current location, problem was, she had no idea where she was right now. Her tendency to do something before thinking had once again prevailed.

She looked around for some sort of hint and felt a gentle breeze blow against her back. She looked around to see that it almost seemed to surround her and swirl around her body. This made her wonder even more where she was. She had heard rumors about a wind village being in existence somewhere near her previous hometown… Could that be where she was near to? Phoenix swayed on the spot, staring around her surroundings, looking for clues. She moved forward, slowly and warily now. She watched the trees in the forest around her began to thin in to a clearing and she caught whiff of food. Her stomach made a fearsome noise and she quickly reached for her bag of food. She realized, as she withdrew it, that it was far too empty to be full. She looked in to see only one sushi roll left, apparently, Kilik and Maxi had had their fair share of what her bag had to offer. She sighed and stuffed the roll in her mouth, wishing she had more to sustain herself. Her stomach made a softer growl but for now, she was slightly content. She had only an hour before pain would kick in. She had to find food soon. She hurried towards the scent, not knowing where she was or if she was somewhere where she shouldn't be.

"Hey!" She heard a voice call to her and Phoenix winced. She turned quickly, her hand immediately diving for her swords but she relaxed and un-tensed when she saw who the voice belonged to. Amazingly, she saw the form of Talim running up to her, the winds fanning out her black hair even more. She was more beautiful than ever, perhaps it was her element with the wind, as she ran towards Phoenix. Several gasps sounded around them as Talim wrapped Phoenix in a tight hug, one person even exclaimed, 'priestess!' but Talim ignored them. She pulled Phoenix back and looked in her eyes.

"Hello, Phoenix! How are you? I've been worried about you! It's good to know the winds have not lied, they told me you would be coming." Talim said with much happiness. Phoenix half-wondered why the girl was so happy but she saw that she also had a streak of independence and determination so she didn't judge her too harshly. Talim seemed to come to her senses and shook her head, in obvious conflict within her mind. She laughed and spoke again, this time more eagerly.

"Come, come, there's someone I want you to meet!" Talim exclaimed. She grabbed Phoenix's hand and began to drag her towards the closest house. It was hard to describe what this village looked like, it was as if it was floating on air. She half wondered how she had possibly gotten in but ignored that thought for the moment. Talim led her into another room and shut the door quietly behind her. "Wait here," She said as she left Phoenix by herself. She didn't mind, this would give her time to collect her thoughts and evaluate the situation. She was unsure of whether or not she wanted to meet another girl or boy or whatever this thing was. On the other hand, from what she had just heard, Talim held high status in this village. If she was on close terms with her, then that would definitely work in her favor. She heard a muffled sound and saw Talim come out from behind the other room. She signaled for Phoenix to come in and she did so, quite hesitantly. Her eyes met with another girl who was sitting silently by the window, her eyes staring without seeing. Talim leaned over and spoke very quietly.

"She's awful quiet. But I think she said your name before and something about Soul Calibur. Talk to her, okay?" She ducked out of the room before Phoenix could object and hurried down the hallway, eager to escape. Phoenix stared right after her and then looked at the girl who continued to stare out the window. The first thing that she registered was that her hair was a shocking shade of blue, it blossomed from her head and fell over her back. She did not take notice of the other occupant of the room and turned to see who it was. Phoenix saw that this girl had golden eyes interlaced with strands of violet. She wondered if this was a natural color or if she had done something to change her appearance. Around her neck, she wore what looked like a choker, on it; she saw the symbol for wind. Her clothes were of a gothic Lolita look, intriguing and different from other clothes. Her top was made of silk, wrapping around her torso. It had no sleeves and covered about half her torso. It had tons of lace around the sides and looking briefly at the girl's back, she noticed that the girl had silk material running the length of it. The girl had long gloves that covered her hands from view and the gloves had laces at the sides to hold them in place. For her bottom, she wore what looked like half a skirt and half of a pair of shorts. On her right leg, she could see a pair of mini short but right below a belt that had several symbols etched into it, she had a mini skirt that covered part of her left leg. It went about one inch above her knee and was plaited. This also fanned out and also had a lot of lace as well. Boots that fit the form of her leg started right below the skirt and stretched down to cover her feet. The girl stared in wonder at Phoenix before she spoke, wariness in her voice.

"Who… might you… be?" She said it slowly, Phoenix couldn't tell if she was making fun of her or not. The girl did not seem to mean any offence, on the contrary, she seemed genuinely interested in who Phoenix could be. She spoke up, watching for the girl's reactions.

"My name is Phoenix. Talim apparently trusts you for she brought me to you. And you are…?" Phoenix ended on a slightly wary note as well, waiting for a response from the girl. She did not smile but simply blinked before responding.

"I am called a lot of things… But you can call me Kiashi." Phoenix half wondered who had thought of such a name and if it meant anything in her foreign language. The longer she stared at the girl, the more unsettled she felt. She felt a vague disruption where Kiashi was involved. The girl continued to stare at her with over large eyes that seemed too intrigued for their own good. Phoenix tried to crack a smile but she couldn't help but wonder who this Kiashi girl really was and where on earth she had come from. Kiashi apparently could read thoughts for she cracked a smirk at Phoenix and spoke up.

"Interesting thoughts, Phoenix, but I'm not from anywhere around here." She said with raised eyebrows. Phoenix half-wondered how on earth this girl could read her thoughts but then it hit here with oncoming force. Talim had virtually done the same thing when they had first met. She had used the 'winds' to read Phoenix's thoughts and actions. Problem was, this girl did not look like she was from the wind tribe or whatever tribe Talim belonged to. She decided to voice her doubts, she didn't want to make enemies.

"How'd you guess what I was thinking?" The girl looked surprised by this and raised her eyebrows so far up that they became completely immersed in her bangs. She noticed that her bangs were odd as well, they were short enough in the middle but elongated at the sides of her face. Kiashi blew upwards and Phoenix saw her bangs shoot up as the force from her exhale of air hit them.

"I was right? Oh, that was just a guess. I really had no idea what you were thinking. I'm usually right, though." The girl said with a small smile. Her smirk had faded and so had her sarcastic nature. Phoenix wasn't sure whether or not she liked this girl, her nature was far too unpredictable. Kiashi invoked conversation once again, as Phoenix wasn't showing any implication of starting any.

"But if you really want to know, I'm from—"Whatever she had been about to say was cut off as a loud scream filled the village. Groaning, Phoenix hastened to reach the exit of the home she was in. She reached it but it was far too late to stop any damage. The scream was pierced and replaced by a weird gurgling sound that Phoenix affiliated with death.

**-------------------------------------------------**

**VideogameFangirl - Tee-hee-hee, cliff hanger again! Hooray!  
AznHalfBreed - No, not hooray! This is a disaster! Your life is a disaster! This STORY is too weird!  
Videogame - In order, this is NOT a disaster, I don't even have a life, and this story is doing just fine, thankyouverymuch.  
AznHalfBreed - No, it's not. It pains me to read it.  
VideogameFangirl - You know what, Masshuu? You know what?  
AznHalfBreed - What is it, Relm?  
VideogameFangirl - Shut up, no one loves you! Anyhow, hope the chapter was somewhat entertaining!  
AznHalfBreed - *sigh***


	8. Chapter Six – A Brief Interlude

**VideogameFangirl - Wow, chapter six already! What's up with that...?  
AznHalfBreed - I dunno but hey...  
VideogameFangirl - What? No, I'm already married and I have a kid. I married Luke so I'm sorry, Masshuu.  
AznHalfBreed - I'm not talking about Harvest Moon:Trees of Tranquility! Don't you notice how your name changes EVERY time I say it?  
VideogameFangirl - Uhhhhhh, not my fault...?  
AznHalfBreed - Whatever. Anyway, she doesn't own any Soul Calibur characters or the series itself,  
VideogameFangirl - Namco does!  
AznHalfBreed - Hey, that was my line!  
VideogameFangirl - Oh, stop being a fuddy duddy and go with it!**

**Chapter Six – A Brief Interlude**

Poking her head out slightly, she saw brief flames before poking her head back in the home, only to see Kiashi's head sticking out the door too. She looked interested in the new events and motioned for Phoenix to watch too. She did as well and complied to follow her direction. She saw the fire get extinguished and witnessed a small girl walking towards the flames. She noticed, with a jolt, that it was Talim who proceeded into the heart of flames. But as looked closer, she saw that Talim was wrapped in a barrier of winds, all flame not able to touch her. Talim expelled wind from her palms and around her body and shot it at whatever was attacking the village.

"Inferno…" She thought she heard Kiashi mutter under her breath as they both noticed the flame creature, Phoenix moreover because it had attacked her in her previous group. The thing was howling in agony now and it was then she realized that the screaming was coming from _this _thing. She watched as Talim used her expertise in the wind and summoned strong gusts to banish it farther away. Even as far away as she was, she could still make out what Talim was saying.

"Now, my winds, please grant me the power to banish this horrible threat! Lend me your strength so that I may banish it so that it might not return again!" She chanted. As Phoenix watched, winds spurred around the girl and encompassed both her and the inferno creature. She heard it yelp but within mere seconds, heard the wind carry it away. When the whirlwind cleared, Phoenix saw Talim standing alone and looked relieved but also a bit tired at what she had just done. She tottered on her feet but remained quite strong. Talim accepted the thanks of the village people and smiled as they gave her gifts.

"Oh, priestess, you are so amazing! You saved the village once again!" They chanted together. A young boy came up to her clasped her hands and gave her a rose. He thanked her quickly and ran away before he even heard Talim's thanks, a fierce blush on his face. Phoenix figured it safe to go out, feeling that that creature made of flame would not be following her any longer. She walked over to the girl who controlled winds and patted her on the back. Admittedly, Talim was a head shorter than her but the girl had phenomenal strength.

"You were pretty good, Talim-Chan. I'm not easy to impress, and short people stand less of a chance, but you did pretty good." Talim looked pouty at her short people joke but took it in stride. She lightly punched Phoenix on the shoulder and grinned in a melodic sort of way.

"Thanks, but I'm more impressed by your abilities. By the way, might you fill me in on your adventure since we last met? I am sure much has happened and tonight, we will be having a festival during which you can talk to me." She seemed thoroughly convinced that Phoenix would indeed be following her and would be talking to her later. Since it couldn't be helped, she simply nodded to the wind girl and watched Talim depart into a crowd of reverent admirers. She progressed too far in the crowd and Phoenix failed to see her any longer. She waited until she was fairly certain that no one washing her before she turned and departed towards her previous location. She saw the emo-looking Kiashi watch her through narrowed eyes before she withdrew her head back into the house. Phoenix followed her inside and closed the door quietly behind her.

"What's up?" Phoenix asked when she walked into the room that the girl was standing in. Kiashi simply stared at her a little bit before continuing to speak and answer the question that Phoenix had posed to her.

"…Nothing. Are you going to that party tonight, then?" She asked. Phoenix had the sudden trepidation that Kiashi was testing her to see where exactly her values stood. Instead of answering, she decided to parry the question with another one.

"Why is it of such great importance? Did you want to do something tonight?" Phoenix asked of her. Kiashi did not answer for several minutes, her hair partially hiding half of her face in shadow. She finally looked up so that Phoenix could see her face within the light of the room. She opened her mouth to answer, or at least, something along those lines.

"I hate going to events like these alone so I was wondering if you wanted to go together. I haven't really socialized with the town yet so perhaps if someone is there with me, I can try to make new friends." Kiashi's reason was well put together and seemed to be an honest, decent answer. But Phoenix narrowed her eyes in upon hearing such a response. She had long since come to distrust all forms of innocence and most certainly did not trust the girl who had just appeared out of the blue, at least, for her. She un-narrowed her eyes, however, figuring trust would be better suspecting everyone that she came contact with.

"Um, if you want to come… you can… I suppose." She added the last part in an undertone and wasn't surprised to see Kiashi raise her eyebrow in a skeptic manner. She shrugged her shoulders, apparently deciding that Phoenix had not said or done anything offensive. With a curt wave and a smile, she departed into another part of the house, leaving Phoenix alone.

"Come by around seven." Said Kiashi from the other room before Phoenix could ask when and where this festival would be. She gave a silent thanks and departed from the house, eager to get some fresh air. The procession had thankfully faded, most likely Talim was still dealing with the village. She headed out over to the ledge she had spotted when coming into the village, a ledge that was surrounded by twinkling lights and a cool mist. She wondered what the lights were, whether they were pixies of some sort or something else. She sat down on the ledge and noticed that the lights seemed to shy away temporarily before coming closer and resting on her knees and head, as well as her shoulders. Her theory that these were indeed not lights strengthened as she stared, not quite able to make out what was beneath the lights.

"What a strange one you are." She heard the voice behind her and turned quickly. Whatever the lights were, they just stayed in the same position on her body. She looked up to see an elderly lady but as she looked closer, she noticed she bore symbols just like Talim. Remembering that Talim was the next shaman of her village, she figured that this woman must be the current one. "To attract the beings of light as you do… you must have a very pure soul." The village shaman continued, her kind eyes peering into Phoenix's. Phoenix fought back a snort and shook her head. As she went to open her mouth, she felt something crawl over it and looked down in time to see a tiny, little human-like creature on her face. The creature was close enough to look in her eyes before flying off and settling in her hair.

"I… Thanks but I don't think my soul is that pure. I'm really confused right now and I don't know what to do." She said n a quiet voice. The shaman regarded her through brown eyes that were so like Talim's, it was a little disturbing. She felt the hands of the little light sprites on her cheeks before shaking her head at the woman. The shaman leaned over and allowed a sprite to climb on to her hand.

"These little sprites… Pixies if you will, have always lived in our village of the wind. They do not, however, appear or even attempt to come near those who are tainted by dark things. The winds purify me, you have an inner force that purifies you. That is why they come to you." Phoenix raised her eyebrows and put them back down again. She heard a soft childlike laugh in her ear and heard a sort of tinkling sound to go with it. She stared up at the woman with the sparkling brown eyes before responding.

"I appreciate the compliment," Whether it was timed that way or not, she looked up into the sky to see streaking colors of red and orange tinting the sky. She looked back down and at the shaman, who was watching her curiously. "I should go… I promised to meet Kiashi at seven and it looks like it's almost time." She bowed to the elderly lady and departed quickly. She heard the pixies moan silently in protest to her departure but stayed in her previous location. She could've sown that they looked sad but as they were so small, she had trouble seeing their faces. She walked back up and around the village and eventually entered the house. Upon entering, she spotted a clock and saw that it was only six twenty. She was a bit early. But she then saw Kiashi come from another room and smile softly.

"Good, you're here. I wanted to give you some new clothes because the kimono you're wearing is so dirty and tattered, you look like a poor girl." She said as she walked over. Kiashi had done away with the first two layers of the kimono and was inspecting them closely, looking at the material. "So, you like soft material? Hang on, I got just the thing." She went into a shelf inside her dresser and withdrew something with lace, silk, and who knows what else. She thrust the thing at Phoenix, who caught it, not knowing what to do.

"Put it on! You'll look great and you'll get lots of attention!" Attention was the one thing she didn't really want but at this point, she didn't really have a choice, now did she? Kiashi pushed her into a dressing room in the back and before Phoenix could protest, the door was locked and there was virtually nothing she could do. Swearing to herself mildly, she glanced around to see a mirror. She saw herself for the first time in a while and the first thing she thought was, _I really DO need a bath._ She located such in the room as well, apparently, Kiashi had planned this. Stripping off the rest of her dirty clothing, she stepped into the water and slowly relaxed into it. She felt the hot water soak into her body and felt relaxation set in as she lay there. She allowed this only to only go on for thirty minutes or so, giving her ten minutes to get ready. She shivered a little bit as she got out, shaking her head and sending water flying everywhere. She dried herself off and now picked up the articles of clothing Kiashi had given her. She had a terribly tough time with the lace, even worse, with the strings to keep it in place. It took her all of fifteen minutes to get it on right. She, at last, turned to face herself in the mirror and set eyes on her appearance.

She hated to admit it, but Kiashi had chosen some pretty good clothes for her. She saw that Kiashi had purposely brought all of her features into greater prominence with this ensemble of clothes. She stared first at her silver hair that always seemed to be more lilac than silver, long and trailing along the length of her back. She gazed at the bangs that wrapped around her face and went down to her eyes. Her eyes, a silver color glimpsed her reflection over in the mirror. She noticed that there was a considerable amount of skin showing beneath her neck; her top swooped down low in the front. Silk outlined the fringes of her top; it wrapped around her torso and fanned out around her arms. Soft material fell from the glove like sleeves, wrapping around her arms and hands. Her top was laced and tied in the middle, but she noticed that it seemed to also end in a midriff effect. Lace dangled from the edges of the bottom and was so long that it spiraled down to her thighs. From the back of her top, there was a satin like cape that hung down to her ankles, partially obscured y her hair. Her bottom was just as radiant as the top. On her bottom, she wore a sort of silk belt that wrapped around her waist. From it fell a sort of skirt that was almost a bell shape. In the front, the skirt was a mini skirt but at the sides of both her thighs, it elongated and became a trailing skirt that went all the way up to her ankles. The material flowed down her legs and was made satin. She wore knee-high boots beneath the skirt, which were also laced similarly to her top. She had bracelets underneath the loose material that hung around her arms and wore a pendant around her neck. She stared for a few seconds longer before running a comb through her hair and finally opening the door. Kiashi was staring out the window but upon hearing her return, turned and a smile enhanced her features.

"Gothic Lolita looks really good on you! Well, it's starting, want to go?" She asked. Phoenix nodded and the two of them set off towards the festival. The street was filled with the sounds of shouting children and the screams of teenagers as they celebrated another victory against Soul Edge's incarnations. Phoenix couldn't help but feel a bit euphoric from the celebration that was happening all around her. With wide eyes, she was led by Kiashi, who knew the streets of the town well. The two soon merged into the night air and the crowd that was surrounding the main square. In about less than two minutes, Phoenix felt someone grab her waist and fended off the drunken person. It struck her that she was surprisingly vulnerable in this crowd of people. Kiashi either didn't see or chose to ignore what was going on as she continued to lead Phoenix deeper into the crowd of people. The music suddenly picked up several paces, causing the crowd to sway faster. Kiashi looked like she liked this song for she grabbed Phoenix's hand and started to dance along with the music.

"W-Wait! I don't know this…!" Phoenix started to protest against this sudden movement but Kiashi simply laughed and pulled her in close to her.

"C'mon, enjoy yourself!" She said with a laughter that was so carefree, Phoenix feared it might be contagious. Kiashi began to move her body to the music even faster forcing Phoenix to dance along for fear of being left behind. The two began to dance in sync with one another and soon, they had cleared the dance floor. Kiashi's way of dancing was similar to fighting style and the two became caught in a deadly dance. Kiashi started to aim for various pressure points and Phoenix began to dodge such with precision while circling around to hit her opponent. Their clothes made all of their movements even more graceful than they ordinarily would have been. The two continued to spiral and circle each other, movements being predicted every second. They linked hands and began to swing each other around until at last the music reached its climax and the two stopped, out of breath but happy. A lot of cheers rose up for the two of them and Phoenix blushed a bit at all of the attention she was getting. Kiashi took it in stride and shot a grin over to Phoenix. The two of them bowed and left the circle and mixed into the crowd of people. Laughing and gasping for breath, Kiashi leaned over and started to release even more of the contagious laughter. Phoenix joined in and began to laugh so hard that both of them collapsed on the floor, their ribs hurting.

"Now, isn't this interesting? I wonder how long the two of you are going to stay there on the floor… hopefully not all night!" The two looked up to see Talim gazing at them from her perch on a tree. There was a gentle gust of wind and she descended to ground level. She landed lightly on her feet and smiled as she straightened up into standing position. Both girls were aghast as to how she followed them but took this with some pride. Phoenix, with as much dignity as she could manage, mumbled a sorry and bowed to the wind priestess. Kiashi only bowed her head but that showed her version of respect enough. Talim nodded and continued to talk. "Very well, come with me. We shall talk." She turned to leave, leaving Phoenix with no choice to follow her if she wanted answers. Kiashi followed so she wouldn't be left behind by herself. She didn't look happy about following someone and had reverted back to her unsociable and emo self. She followed, moody and snide, behind Phoenix. Phoenix turned back to face her several times but each time, the girl was still in the same crummy mood. The three entered upon a clearing and it was their her eyes widened. Before her, Phoenix saw an incredible palace like building…. Except it was _floating in the air_. That part was weird enough but was weirder was that the stairs leading inside were made completely of water. She must've looked apprehensive for Talim turned and laughed shortly.

"Don't worry, I will make sure you do not fall through." Phoenix hurried up the steps, afraid of falling down them. Kiashi marveled at it all for several more seconds before going back up the stairs to where the procession would take place. The two heard the flap close behind their bodies and looked up to see Talim with an almighty grin on her face as she shut the doors. The grin immediately faded, however, as soon as she came deeper into the room. She laid her eyes upon the two and motioned for them to sit at the beginning of said table. The two complied and sat, Phoenix noticing for the first time that they were the only three in the room. Talim slid down so that she was sitting opposite them and sighed, running fingers through her long, black hair. She took a minute and sighed on more time before continuing, making the reason of this visit finally obvious.

**------------------------------------------------**

**AznHalfBreed - Cliff hanger again?  
VideogameFangirl - Yup! Hey, Masshuu...  
AznHalfBreed - What?  
VideogameFangirl - How come you don't have a username on fanfiction?  
AznHalfBreed - I don't want to, I don't have time to be on this site. Anyway, I bought this game and I don't know what to do with it... It's called Dark Cloud 2 and--  
VideogameFangirl - DARK CLOUD 2?! GIMME! *snatches game* I'M GONNA PLAY! *dashes off*  
AznHalfBreed - *sigh* Hope you liked it, people... Porom, get back here...**


	9. Chapter Seven – Seeking Answers, Hidden

**VideogameFangirl - Gah, this story is so long! Well, not really. Me and those cliff hangers.**

**AznHalfBreed - Yes, you and those cliff hangers.**

**VideogameFangirl - Yes, me and that pocky.**

**AznHalfBreed - Yes, you and that-- Wait a minute, where'd that come from?!**

**VideogameFangirl - I'm hungry!**

**AznHalfBreed - Yeah, whatever. Well, you know the drill.**

**Both - Namco owns Soul Calibur!**

**Chapter Seven – Seeking Answers, Hidden Truth**

"Let's get down to business, you two." Said Talim with a vague note of boredom in her voice. Could someone please explain what was going on here? She rubbed her palms together and looked from Kiashi to Phoenix and back again. With her eyes focused on herself, she began to talk. "Phoenix, it has been awhile. Would you mind telling me of your adventures?" She asked the question gently enough so that Phoenix would not feel offended. The girl shot a look over at Kiashi, who was regarding her with true interest for the first time. Deeming it safe enough, she began the whole story, feeling she could trust Talim and this girl, Kiashi. She began to re-account how she had left the town and how she had had a run-in with both Kilik and Maxi. Here, Talim interrupted and asked some basic questions about their identities. Feeling satisfied after several of these for each, she quieted down and let Phoenix resume. With difficulty, she started to speak of Akuma and how they had met up with him. Her throat constricted when she got to the part about her and Akuma but somehow, she managed to keep on going. Talim's eyes flashed when she described how he had left, Kiashi looked genuinely happy for her. She continued along her story of how she had ditched the two of them and ended finally on how she had gotten to the wind village. They knew the rest. Talim sat in silence after Phoenix ended, it was Kiashi who initiated the conversation.

"…Cute? Anyhow, that's totally awesome! You're Soul Calibur?! Ooooh, I wish I had super awesome cool powers too!" There was a new light around Kiashi and it took both girls to realize that this was the emo depressed girl talking like this. She looked excited, with an air of happiness that surrounded her as she spoke of what she had just heard about. Talim raised her eye in surprise but had quite a different opinion on what had just transpired.

"You… are in love with… Soul Edge…? By the winds… that is odd…" She did not look like she liked this situation one bit and was quick to point it out. "I don't like it." She said bluntly. "It doesn't make any sense… Soul Calibur…loves Soul Edge? Does that not strike you as odd?" She stroked her cheek softly as she raised her eyebrows so far up that they submerged in her hair. Phoenix merely made a noncommittal grunt and shook her head, awaiting a reply from Talim. She finally collected her thoughts for she stopped stroking her chin and spoke louder than before.

"I thought you were that…" She began but this time, she didn't finish her thoughts due to the sudden interruption that came in the form of Phoenix.

"Thought I was what? I wish people could explain what they mean instead of playing dumb and not telling me anything!" She said with a bit of exasperation. Talim seemed to share her feelings for she sighed for the third time in the past five minutes and continued along.

"It is certainly odd… I have purified many a shard from Soul Edge, it is odd that you, the reincarnation of Soul Calibur, would love him…" Kiashi spoke up in response to Talim, her voice no longer melting with happiness.

"Perhaps she fell in love with his person," Seeing as how the other two gave her blank stares, she continued. "I mean, maybe she loves him for who he is, not what he is. Like, she loves him _because_ he's Akuma and not because he's Soul Edge." She cracked a hesitant grin at the two and caused Phoenix to smile in earnest this time at her. Talim still mulled about it, deep in thought. She did not seem to be all too happy with this arrangement and did not seem willing to display what she was thinking either. She had her arms crossed over her chest and stayed in that position for several minutes or so until she finally broke the silence.

"That might be true… Bu still, it strikes me as something that is not quite right… Oh well, no matter. I am glad you have told me of your adventures and in return, I will tell you mine. Kiashi," She added on the last part and turned to face the said girl. "You, of course, shall exchange information first, then I will explain what this is all about." She said it shortly and somewhat bluntly. Both of the other girls looked apprehensive at the news but did not say anything about what Talim had just said. Talim took a deep breath and began to talk.

"So, to start. After we left the village of Yosuna, I began an adventure with Xianghua. She was looking for her love, Kilik. The two of us headed further in Europe as that was where she said that he might be. As we began to do so, we heard strange rumors about the sword Soul Edge and went to investigate…"

Talim looked behind her to see the sun setting fast on the hills to the distance. She watched this procession for several seconds, taking in the beauty and relishing the feel of evening wind on her face. She loved the feel of the winds, especially after it came from high places such as the mountains. She opened her eyes once more when the winds faded to turn her face towards her current companion, Xianghua. The Chinese girl was leaning over and putting together some firewood for warmth. She seemed to be satisfied with her effort for with her usual bounciness, stepped back and grinned, watching over the fire. Talim walked over to the girl and made an attempt at conversation on what they had learned so far. From what Cassandra and Sophitia told them both, it looked as if Soul Edge might have come this way. They had heard tidbits from Rock, who had spoken of the awesome power wielded by the strange girl with silver hair. They had also spoken to several residents in the town as well, looking for clues relating to Soul Edge and Kilik. Xianghua was getting madly desperate, she didn't want to wait to be cautious, which could get dangerous. This is what Talim had to take about.

"Xiao, we need to talk." Talim invoked the use of a Dark Cloud reference (wait, how does Talim know that Dark Cloud exists…? Do PS2's even exist where she's from? I think not… neh, I'm breaking the fourth wall… Back to the story!) as well as a cute nickname that had been adopted for her. Xianghua grinned at the reference but it faded as what Talim said finally set in. She continued, ignoring the hesitance from her friend.

"I know you don't want to dwell on it, but I believe we need to discuss it. Your… actions are becoming rash and unpredictable. I want to help you, but at the same time, do not deny that I will leave you when I see it fit if you should put the lives of other people in danger." Xianghua looked genuinely shocked by this bit of news but closed her gaping mouth to allow herself to continue listening. "I am sorry that I have to be so blunt with you but it is true. You must remember who you are and what your actions could spell out for other people. I want you to be cautious and attentive. Can you do that?" Xianghua nodded and proceeded to add more wood to the fire, not knowing what to say. Talim sat and waited until finally, the girl said something.

"Y'know, it's weird, having someone who's five years younger than myself tell me what to do!" She started to laugh a gentle but loud laugh, her smile broadening. "It's sort of refreshing, though! Heh, it's weird and refreshing, what a combo!" She continued to laugh at an extremely loud volume and slapped her hands together as she laughed louder and louder, the sound bouncing off landscape and igniting in her throat. Talim raised her eyebrows but soon found that the laugh was contagious and started right along with Xianghua. The two laughed and allowed the sound to carry into the evening and slowly, their laughs disappeared and faded into the night.

"Weird, yes, but absolutely funny! I like you, Tal-Tal. You're pretty fun to hang around with! We should've had journeys together a long time ago! I hate your outfits, though… JUST KIDDING!" This joke brought a new wave of laughter over the girls. Sometimes, Talim felt as if she were the older one, not Xianghua. She felt like an older sister to the other one, always having to watch Xianghua to make sure that nothing bad happened and the girl wasn't overly impulsive. It was one thing that she was running around all over the place, advertising she loved to fight. It was another when she became so reckless, she ceased to care for those around her. But perhaps it was the hyper nature in her that made Talim like being friends with her. Both girls got along considerably well, even with Kilik. Their laughs subsided after much time and, out of breath, Talim began anew.

"It is a good thing no one was here to watch that, what we did was ridiculous." This brought a round of laughter from Xianghua and Talim had to wait for her to calm down before she continued.

"HA! You'd say that to our readers? They know EVERYTHING!" She began laughing and Talim, feeling tugs at both sides of her mouth, smiled but said nothing. She waited, once again, for the persistent laughs to finally come to a close and stop ringing in her ears. Eventually, Xianghua complied and stopped, snorting as she did so. Yes, they really were like a pair of sisters.

"Yes, that's terribly interesting, Xiao. Anyhow, do you think we'll find anything on this Soul Edge, business?" Xianghua looked like she was about to respond, but her smile slid off her face and she tensed. She grabbed the sword lying on the ground at her feet and stood up slowly. Talim grabbed her wind blades and but them on, feeling nervous and strangely eager for a challenge. They waited for several more seconds, feeling apprehension and a sort of despair at the fact that whatever was hiding was not appearing or showing itself before them. After several minutes of stupidly staying in this position, both girls began to un-tense. This is what it had been waiting for. It jumped down from a tree and latched on to Xianghua. However, the girl was fast and caught whatever it was mid-strike and forced it down on the ground. With Talim's blades under its chin, she forced its face up so they could both see whoever it was. She received a shock as she looked so closely at the face she recognized, even though it had been years since they had seen each other.

"Yun-Seong! What are you doing here?!" Xianghua did not look like she was surprised by this attack, but then again, when was she ever? She was always amused by such things and now was no exception. She had a smirk on her face but did look a little shocked to see what she saw. Yun-Seong got up slowly and rubbed his head.

"Eh, nothing much. You know, you got pretty strong! And you, Talim, I think you grew. Still cute as ever, though!" Talim allowed herself to blush just a little bit before biting it back and staring into his eyes with a somewhat unfazed expression.

"I say, oh stalker, how goes the girl hunting?" She asked with just a hint of her usual sarcasm. Around Yun-Seong, her heart betrayed her and beat fast in her chest like the traitorous little monster it was. Talim sighed again, waiting for a proper response from said boy, more than anything else. Xianghua bent over double, laughing and pointing at Yun-Seong, a terribly large smile on her face. Yun-Seong looked offended but replied all the same.

"Not so good… No one's as cute or as feisty as you, Talim. Xianghua here is an idiot, complete and simple. Oh, I'm hungry, do you have anything to eat?" Talim raised an eyebrow at him; leave it to Yun-Seong to only think of food in such times. She still loved him for who he was though. With an exasperated sigh that was long and drawn out, she led him to where they kept their food. He happily munched down and told them of how he had seen them in town and had followed them to see if they were alright.

"And then, as I was following you, some girl asks if I want to get in her bed and—"Talim, feeling it imperative to cu the tale off, made a slicing gesture with her hands and cut him off.

"Yes, your relationships are oh so interesting… How many girls have you courted?" Yun-Seong snorted at her question and shook his head in what she took to mean 'no'. He continued to do so and had to wipe tears from his eye as the laughter was racking at his sides so intensely, it must've hurt him. Xianghua was snorting too, leading Talim to think they had both been drunk for the past hour and she was the only one sane and even possible of thinking or talking like a sane person. She sat with her legs crossed and her would not break out in uncontrollable laughter as well. Finally, for the fifth time, their laughter subsided and once again, Yun-Seong resumed his tale.

"Yeah, whatever. So, then, I left town, following tidbits of information I could get off you two. I asked for a really loud Chinese looking girl and an exotic Philippines girl. No doubt you left an impression on men, I was able to pick up your trail in no time!" Yun-Seong looked mighty proud of himself for finding them, the other two, not so much so. Xianghua had lost interest in what was going on and had taken to shining her blade in the light of the fire. Talim had paid alert attention but upon seeing that his tale was temporarily done, she jumped right in to interject.

"Fine, I shall accept, but—"However, Xianghua _had _been paying attention for she looked up at this point and interrupted Talim quite rudely.

"Poopy, Tal-Tal! Let ginger head tell a story without you analyzing the thing every fifteen seconds! It works for me and I still get everything out of it!" She ended on a grin that was way too large for her face and then resumed shining her weapon. Talim wasn't all that happy about being told off for her nature but didn't comment and politely allowed Yun-Seong to continue with whatever he had been saying. She uncrossed her legs and sat, seemingly undisturbed. Yun-Seong didn't look all that happy towards his nickname but did not comment.

"As I was saying before the Asian girl interrupted," He began (it looked to her as if he was still slightly annoyed and she could tell he was going to insult Xianghua as much as he could for the rest of the story…), "I left town and set off after you. Along the way, I heard some pretty funny rumors about a young beauty that just so happened to come in contact with the two of you. She left the town before you but I heard she possessed phenomenal strength… Something that doesn't quite fit for her age or body structure. I mean, we're talking a pint-sized midget who beat up Rock!" Talim's eyes darkened at the sound 'pint sized midget' even though the comment wasn't directed towards her. She sighed a little. Phoenix and herself were similar, both too short for thirteen year olds. Their heights were just above four foot five and she had a feeling that they probably wouldn't be growing that much over the next three years. Yun-Seong seemed unfazed, or he probably hadn't noticed, by her reaction to the phrase. He was so used to taunting her that little things like sighing barely caught his attention. Why were they friends?

"Oooooh, Yun!" Xianghua said extremely loudly thus scaring everything in her vicinity. "Are you trying to _market_? How _cute_!" She exclaimed. Yun-Seong's face took on red but he shook his head, a slow grin working its way on to his face.

"Nah, Xiao! The only girl I'm going to market is the one right here!" He said while he leaned over and put an arm around Talim. She only allowed this to go on for a minute before slowly removing his arm from around her shoulders. She had to maintain _some_ dignity.

"Please don't do that without my permission." She said shortly and in a bored fashion. Yun-Seong shrugged but Xianghua was determined to make her open up. Adopting puppy dog eyes, she stared at Talim, who immediately felt the effect of said eyes.

"Tali," She began in a soft voice, invoking another one of Talim's nicknames. "Don't be a spoilsport! You're so up tight sometimes! Relax, have fun, hey, are you gonna eat that?" She added on as she gazed at the chicken in his hands. Yun-Seong looked at her, then at the chicken, and shook his head. He passed it over to a happy Xianghua, who ate it with an air of glee.

"Oooookay, that's really freaky, please stop. Anyhow, Talim, do you know anything about this girl? I'm not trying to market, don't worry. I just really want to know who she is and what she's all about." He said the words slowly, as if she could not understand. Of course, that wasn't true. He only spoke slowly for fear of offending her or pushing her over the edge. She felt gratified that he was that cautious but, in return, she was cautious about the answer she was about to give him. The winds had told her much of what had happened with this girl and she did not want to spill everything here until she was sure that her readings were correct.

"I can only tell you a little bit of her story, you understand. What I have guessed is this… She has self-healing abilities, from where, I do not know." She tried to bite back the horrible feeling that came whenever she lied. She knew where it came from but she could not tell him. Not yet, at least. "She came to the arena and fought well for a girl so young. I personally tried to talk to her but the girl… she is not open towards most." Talim said shortly as well as bluntly towards her companions. Xianghua was too busy eating to pay attention properly but she nodded to Talim's words. Yun-Seong looked puzzled and waited for her to go on.

"I… anyway, after she departed, Xiao and I followed her with you on our tail. We couldn't find her and lost track. Xianghua had been wanting to find Kilik so we abandoned the search for P… the girl. We've also been looking for Soul Edge as well but it hasn't worked out all that well." Talim said with a slight mistake I her sentence. Yun-Seong noticed, as sometimes, the boy could be terribly perceptive.

"Her name starts with P, what is it?" He asked her. Talim did not feel obliged to tell him but then again, she did not want to lie to him at all. She shook her head but refused to open her mouth. Unfortunately, the downside to traveling with Xianghua was that she liked to blab far too much and seeing as she didn't think this was all that important, she blabbed.

"Her name was Phoenix!" She said with a laugh and with that, she dived back into her food. Yun-Seong's face noticeably whitened as he heard this name. Talim raised an eyebrow, unsure as to why he would even be nervous upon hearing such a name said out loud. Yun-Seong shook his head but proceeded to say no more, as she knew he would.

"I… that… what I'm trying to say is that… how?" He said, his sentence not making the remotest sense at all. Xianghua actually looked up from eating (which was a surprise because once the girl started, she refused to look up once) and put it to the side (she was acting weirder and weirder by the second, she NEVER put down food while she was eating).

"Yun, what are you talking about? What did you hear?" She said with a slightly apprehensive voice. When he didn't respond, she suddenly dropped use of his nickname. "Yun-Seong, what did you hear?" She said it so seriously; Talim was wondering if the girl hadn't been taken over by OOC bug, she was so out of character.

"Well…" He started to say his words softly and shortly. "When I was traveling after you, I heard rumors about a girl named Phoenix. In the village of Alsmara, there was a girl with that name whose whole family was killed. It's said that after this happened and she found out who the killer was, she released beams of light energy that encompassed the area around her and completely destroyed the village. Moreover, everyone in it was purified and then the girl just disappeared, right off the face of this planet." He said to both Talim and Xianghua. Both girls looked shocked by this new piece of information and were at a lose of words for the first time. Yun-Seong saw that neither was about to respond so he decided to.

"I mean, it's just a rumor! But if she's back, I mean, if the thing's true, then why has she returned?" He pondered aloud to himself as he stared at the other two without really seeing them. Talim reacted before Xianghua could, recovering from the news the fastest.

"That's so odd. Where did you hear this from?" She asked of him. Yun-Seong seemed to concentrate hard, his brow furrowed in the effort. At last, his face cleared and he spoke to the two of them.

"I heard it from Mina. She told me because she's been around the world and back with Maxi before Maxi ditched her so he could travel with Kilik. The two of them heard it from a town where Raphael was staying." He said the story in a rush, without really pausing or waiting for a reaction. Talim had an indication that he was lying and used her winds shortly to tell her if he was or wasn't. She ascertained that he wasn't and accepted his words to be the truth.

"Very well, Yun-Seong." She said it quickly as well, but her phrase was short and to the point. He looked confused and watched as she got up and turned, her feet bringing her to their sleeping bags. She threw an extra at Yun-Seong, who caught it on the tips of his fingers. Xianghua, seeing that the conversation was closed, polished off the rest of the chicken and threw a grin at him. She settled down as well, both girls leaving Yun-Seong sitting by the fire, looking confused. With a short wave, Talim snuggled into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes, eager for a good nights sleep before the next day. However, her thoughts swirled around her and she could not sleep just yet. Everything Yun-Seong had told her whirled around in her mind and she compared it to what she had perceived about Phoenix when she had met her. Before long, Xianghua's light sounds of sleeping filled the area. It was more heavy breathing than snoring. She closed her eyes but before she slept, she felt someone place something on her cheek very fast, something that felt a little wet and hurried.

**---------------------------------------------------**

**VideogameFangirl - You know, this is horrible.  
AznHalfBreed - Yes, every chapter is practically a cliff hanger. Whatever.  
VideogameFangirl - This dialogue is short but I'm eating!  
AznHalfBreed - Yes, and right in front of me too. How inconsiderate.  
VideogameFangirl - Aw, shut up, it's not my fault you're hungry!**


	10. Chapter Eight – Humor and Possessed Soul

**VideogameFangirl - Now that I have stolen, I mean, borrowed your game, I can now write the next chapter! YEAH! It's a little short, I know, but this game's fun!  
AznHalfBreed - That's no excuse. This chapter's nearly one thousand words short of your par.  
VideogameFangirl - Uhhhh, it wasn't me?  
Ad=znHalfBreed - What do you mean it wasn't you?! YOU WROTE THE STORY!  
VideogameFangirl - IIE! Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai!  
AznHalfBreed - Yuffie...  
VideogameFangirl - Nan desu ka?  
AznHalfBreed - I don't understand japanese. Whatever, before she says anything else--  
VideogameFangirl - I OWN NOTHING! NAMCO OWNS SOUL CALIBUR! YATA!  
AznHalfBreed - *sigh***

**Chapter Eight – Humor and Possessed Souls**

Awaking to the sounds of the forest around the three of them, Talim released a sigh when the sun hit her in the face. Her hand immediately shot up to her cheek but she was too groggy to remember what had happened after they had all said good night to each other. She sat up groggily, allowing the covers to fall around her body. She reached up and felt her bed head, and sighed again. Her hair really had to stop sticking up like this, it was terribly embarrassing. Xianghua was already doing her hair by the looks of it and was running a brush frantically through it. Her eyes located Talim's and she motioned for Talim to walk over quickly.

"Ah, my hair is a mess! How do I look?!" She said it in a sort of way that indicated she was panicking. Talim saw that Yun-Seong was not in his sleeping bag and looked inquiringly at Xianghua, who hastened to tell her everything that had happened.

"Oh mi gosh! Okay, so Yunny goes into town to go see about the inn prices, you know, 'cause the town's not far. Anyway, while he's there, he meets Kilik! Now my hair's a complete mess and I don't think my clothes look good! AH!" She said as she continued to run the brush through her hair. She grabbed a comb and tried that too with better success. Talim simply raised an eyebrow as she watched her friend, not knowing how to comment on what was happening to her. Talim figured she better do her hair as well but she was much more calm about it.

"Winds, please allow Xianghua to be her best when Kilik arrives… And please allow her to not mess up and look anything less than her best." She muttered under her breath. She felt a gentle breeze in response and felt better. She turned to see Xianghua looking stupidly at her reflection in the water. She turned to look at Talim, who had successfully finished doing her hair and smiled.

"Oh, Tali, did you do that? Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you uber lots!" She said in a less refined voice. It looked as if the winds just helped her with appearance, but hey, what can you do? Talim nodded slowly and smiled in return. It was good timing, the two boys were returning to camp from the hill below. Yun-Seong arrived first, followed by Kilik, who was looking refined as usual.

"Hi, Kilik!" Xianghua said in a voice that was sophisticated. Talim knew she did this to grab his attention and laughed to herself. Kilik was so oblivious, he didn't know when his best friend loved him. Kilik grinned at her, causing the girl to turn red and again, he didn't seem to think this was out of the ordinary. Both Yun-Seong and Talim caught each others eyes and rolled them at each other.

"Hey, Xianghua. I wouldn't have expected you to travel with Talim, that's for sure. But regardless, how are you two doing?" He asked them both. Xianghua still was not capable of proper speech, her blush expanding to full face. It was almost entertaining to her, the girl was so hyper and carefree around others but turned like this around Kilik. Chuckling at the prospect, Talim answered the question to save Xiao some grace.

"Fine, Xianghua's feeling a little sick, that's why she's so red." Xianghua sent her a look that said, 'thank you'. Talim nodded at Xianghua and continued talking. "Oh, are you traveling alone and looking for companions or are you with someone?" The way she added the 'with someone' practically screamed, 'girlfriend. He raised his eyebrows and his grin turned into a smirk.

"You know, I had to wonder whether or not Maxi was a girl, what with his Elvis style hair and his fetish with talking care of it all the time. And, of course, there's his OCD with the way he looks and how he spends three hours in front of the mirror every day." He said with a laugh. The other three joined in with him, the hilarity of what Maxi actually did taking precedence over serious thoughts. Talim herself joined in with them, her serious nature starting to diminish with laughter. She hiccupped herself back to her usual nature and once again, was caught in the action of waiting for the others. What truly brought new waves of laughter to Talim was the arrival of Maxi, who happened to be coming up the hill at that exact moment. Everyone saw him and bent over laughter, the situation was so ridiculous. Their laughs closed with snorts from Yun-Seong and Xianghua, Kilik and Talim being decent about how they ended it. They had to explain to a very confused Maxi what they were laughing about. Since they had stopped laughing, Maxi filled the silence with his own booming laugh. He started to laugh by himself _at _himself, what an odd boy. Xianghua raised her eyebrows at him. Kilik tried not to snort and laugh. Yun-Seong did not remain dignified and his face scrunched in the effort to stop himself from laughing at Maxi. Talim was the only one who kept a semi straight face and scratched her head in order to keep her mind busy with something other than Maxi and his stupidity. Clearing her throat, she aimed to start a serious conversation.

"That's odd, Maxi. Anyhow, Xiao, Yun, we should head out somewhere besides here. If what you've heard is true, then we should find the girl right away." She said with raised eyebrows. The grins immediately faded off her surrounding party's faces and Yun-Seong grimaced at the thought. It was he who spoke first, cutting Maxi off before said person could speak.

"It's dangerous. Think about it. Soul Edge… and Soul Calibur haven't been spotted for eight years. It's been a long time and the war's dimming. If that girl really is Soul Calibur… then that means Soul Edge is somewhere out there… We have to find it, and destroy it." He said with surprising determination in his voice. Talim nodded to his words and looked to Xianghua, Maxi, and Kilik. However, Kilik began to shake his head as well as Maxi.

"Sorry… you guys can go along on your own way. Maxi and I have a different lead and we think we'll take it. If we find the sword before you guys, we'll let you know… somehow…" Kilik said in a low voice. Xianghua looked quite distressed to be leaving his presence right after they had been reunited. He nodded slowly to her and Talim rather thought she saw a flicker of something beyond the normal realms of affection in his eyes. But the moment passed and he turned on his way. Maxi bowed quickly and after snatching a meat bun from Yun-Seong (Yun-Seong had just taken one from the sack of food), he hurried on after his companion.

"G-Good bye!" Xianghua yelled after them. "Good luck! See you again!" She continued to say even after the other two had disappeared out of sight. Yun-Seong scratched his nose and in obvious disdain, he grabbed another meat bun, not happy that he was deprived of one because of Maxi Xianghua continued to look after where the two had departed until Talim put a hand on her shoulder and offered her a kind smile.

"We should be on our way, Xianghua." She said the words slowly. Her elegant Chinese friend nodded and managed a small grin as they both shot looks at Yun-Seong. He was stuffing his face and seemed not to care what was going. Talim grabbed the food out of his hands and put it back in the sack. With a look that screamed, back off, she turned, ready to head down on their own way. They progressed through the clearing, their pace slowed due to exhaustion. None of their surroundings looked vaguely familiar to her and she wondered more than once if they should head on back. But every time the thought came into her head, she remembered the events that ad caused them to depart in the first place. They sprinted onwards, the sun high in the sky, until some parts of civilization seemed apparent. Out of breath, Yun-Seong fell down on his knees, breathing hard. Xianghua jogged over to him and knelt down beside him, most likely feeling softer due to her encounter with Kilik. Talim scanned the area. She ascertained a train ticket booth. Striding over said booth, she put on her best innocent face.

"Hello. May I have three adult tickets to Fräisuwa, please?" As her tickets were printing, she chanced a shot at her friends and saw they were rapidly discussing some other topic. Turning back around, she took the money out of her wallet and laid it out for the lady. After receiving said tickets, she thanked her and grabbed a nearby rock. She threw it at Yun-Seong's head; the stone making contact with his head. The behavior was a little uncalled for but she was feeling a little reckless and needed to vent off some of her feelings. Xianghua watched the procession and broke out laughing, snorts and all, as Yun-Seong went down.

"Xiao, Yun, let's get going." She did not wait for a reply, but headed over to the train station. They hurried to find where she was going and hastened to follow her. She assumed they were following her for she quickened her pace and hurried to the train. She heard uneven footsteps behind her as she boarded the train and shot a look over her shoulder. She saw her two friends gasping and sputtering behind her and felt a smirk cross her face despite the current events. Her legs carried her inside the train and feeling relieved to find it empty, she took a seat in the middle of the train. Pretty soon, she heard the dragged footsteps of both of her friends as they walked into the train. The doors shut behind them. The windows rattled slightly as they all sat down. Sighing, she crossed her arms and legs and glared at the pair of them.

"So…on our way home at last, huh?" She said in an attempt to start a conversation with them. Yun-Seong sighed as he stretched and let his arms relax at his sides.

"Yeah…C'mon, Talim, don't be a spoiled sport. You're always so uptight, aren't I right, Xiao?" Talim raised her right eyebrow until it immersed in her bangs and placed a frown upon her lips as she stared across the chair. Xianghua shook her head at Yun-Seong and began to laugh at him again. It looked as if the girl was back to her normal self. She managed to control her laughter and spoke.

"Weirdo… Honestly, Yun-Seong, who would agree with you? You're so--" he cut herself off as her eyes strayed to one of the doors connecting their car to an adjoining one. All three looked towards the creaking opening of the door. A family of five walked in and took seats near to the door. What had caught her attention weren't the people. It was the fact that so many people seemed to be filing into the car with them. Such even caught Talim's attention as she gazed over the proceeding events. She tensed and leaned in closer to her friends. Another girl had entered the car. She had sparkling blue hair and hesitant eyes. Her eyes led her over to them, she looked nervous but determined.

"Um… Can I sit with you? I am traveling far and you look like the warrior types." She said in a voice shaking with tension. Talim lost her annoyed expression and felt her familiar smile creep on her face. It was Xianghua who answered, due to her hyper nature.

"Sure you can! Though, I'm not REALLY a warrior, I'm a cat!" This statement made no sense and freaked the girl out more. She sat down next to Talim, who was sitting across from Xianghua. This placed the girl across from Yun-Seong, not that she seemed to mind. The girl sent a look over her shoulder to the family and looked back at the group.

"So, where are you from?" Asked Yun-Seong, professionally entering into his flirting mode that he used on other girls. Talim rolled her eyes but did not say anything.

"Um… nowhere in particular. I have just been looking for people to travel with, that sort of thing." She sent another look over her shoulder, invoking Xianghua's interest once again.

"Whatcha lookin' at? I know the family's weird but it's kinda rude to stare." Xianghua's speech reverted to a uncivilized way of speaking that she adopted whenever she was at ease. She caught herself and bit her lip, bonking herself lightly on the head because of her mistake. Yun-Seong awaited a more decent answer but none came. Talim herself looked behind her and heard the warning all too late.

"No, don't…!" The instant she moved, she regretted it. They looked up and she saw that the people had no eyes; more over, no pupils, black slits where eyes should have been. She reeled and shot up like an arrow, back against the window. With a sinister grin that alit the face of all the other passengers, she watched the group step closer to where they stood.

"Crap…." The word left the girls' lips and then, the attack plunged on them. Nimbleness from the wind that lived within her, she jumped the attack of an incoming fist and slid to the floor to avoid several more. Xianghua caught an incoming attacker's kick and threw it down. She expertly began aiming for pressure points on the enemy's body. Yun-Seong had extended out his sword and also, as Talim's stood up, had now taken out a switch blade. He attacked without conscious. He only sought to defend both Talim, the girl he cared about, and Xianghua, his innocent, if slightly cocky, friend. The girl didn't do anything, she seemed to shocked to move. The four backed up against one another and Xianghua spoke in a harsh voice.

"We've got to escape…we can't kill these people…" Yun-Seong made a snorting sound, but shook it off before it developed into anything more. Talim searched desperately for a way out; her eyes trying to see past their opposition. Yun-Seong's eyes were faster and his hand closed around her wrist as well as Xianghua's. He motioned for Talim to grab the girl's wrist, who did with slight hesitation.

"The window." He motioned to the escape window located at the back of the car. "Ready?" The three nodded, but Talim knew before they moved that their attempt was futile. Their feet were kept in place by powerful waves of dark toxin. Swearing, she tried to remove her feet, but to no avail. She struggled against the bonds and shook her head. She knew they had to move fast, else they would be dead. Yun-Seong thought the same way for he threw the knives he was holding at the demi-humans. The knives passed right through and half their attackers disappeared. He had been good with aim, however, as the knives hit their mark of precision at the escape window. It shattered into smaller pieces. Staring, she wondered how he had gotten so strong, but apparently he thought the same thing because his face was identical to herself and Xianghua as well as the girls. Not caring in the slightest, Yun-Seong pulled them along. She had just enough time to grab the pack that held food and other such necessities. She started to move her legs into a sprint and with a sickening force, the four of them jumped off the train. Wondering why these things always managed to find her, Talim summoned the winds to her aid immediately upon leaving said train via the window. The winds cushioned her fall but she heard a scream from somewhere on her right.

"TALIM!" She heard her name yelled by a voice that was most definitely Xianghua's before the force of winds and the noise of shattering glass filled her head and she ceased to hear any more. Yun-Seong perhaps, had yelled after her, but she did not hear him or whatever else Xianghua had shouted. All she knew was that the four of them became separated, Talim and this girl from the other two. She hit the ground with a crunch but felt no pain; the winds had done well to defend her. She realized at the exact moment that the sack of food should've been with her but remembered with a sickening feeling that it had flown out with Yun-Seong and had long been separated from her frail body. She couldn't help but feel frustration at what had just happened to them… Why had it happened to them? What made her a target for these sort of things? Why had the winds not told her of what was to come? But she could not linger on such negative thoughts. Talim sighed and shook her head, getting up slowly. By the looks of things, they had flown quite far from the train, the others somewhere completely different in a different part of the forest. Talim asked the wind for guidance and was able to get up, feeling it support her injured body.

"Why…?" It was with this word that Talim felt her breath leave her and felt blackness take over…

**-----------------------------------------------**

**VideogameFangirl - I think I'm in love with cliff hangers or something... Although, I married Cliff in HM:MFoMT...  
AznHalfBreed - Ugh, that has NOTHING to do with Soul Calibur WHATSOEVER.  
VideogameFangirl - Oh, stufu.  
AznHalfBreed - ...What?  
VideogameFangirl - Nothing! I said nothing! La-la-la-la!  
AznHalfBreed - *sigh* Oh, the melancholy of myself...  
**


	11. Chapter Nine – Answers to a LongAwaited

**VideogameFangirl - Hehehe, I'm hungry!  
AznHalfBreed - What on EARTH does that have to do with-- No, don't answer, I don't want to know.  
VideogameFangirl - Uh, okay, if you insist... Hm, nothing much to say here except the usual. I DON'T OWN ANY SOUL CALIBUR STUFF!  
AznHalfBreed - Yeah, yeah, Namco does. Wait, you, the obsessive fangirl, have NOTHING to say? Nana, what's the matter with you?  
VideogameFangirl - HEY!  
AznHalfBreed - What?  
VideogameFangirl - You just used my nickname! You broke the trend, Masshuu.  
AznHalfBreed - Oh, whatever. No one cares. Just read on people and ignore her...**

**Chapter Nine – Answers to a Long-Awaited Fate**

Talim had finally finished her story and Phoenix simply sat there, flabbergasted and unable to believe what she had just heard. What she had heard at started out as a normal adventure story but had quickly turned into one of horror. Kiashi had an indifferent look, it was really hard to tell just what she was thinking beneath the mask that she was wearing. Talim sighed deeply and took one more deep breath before sighing again. She ran fingers through her hair and stared at Phoenix, who stared right back due to her superiority complex. It seemed too much of a rash adventure to have happened. Phoenix still had a million and one questions and asked the most direct of them first.

"Wait… What happened? Why'd you board the train, anyway? Who were those people? What happened to the others? What happened after you fainted? What—"She found herself cut off by Talim, who raised a hand to stop her. Kiashi continued to stare indifferently at the situation, offering no comment.

"If you ask me too many questions, I shall not be able to answer them. In order… I have no idea what happened. Who knows why we were attacked? But I have my hunches," She added as Phoenix showed every implication of interrupting. "We took the train in hopes of catching you, wherever you might've been. I hade a suspicion that you had traveled this way and it turned out that I was right, as I now see. The others, I hope, are fine. I have not heard from either so I do not know how they are holding up."

"After I had fainted, it was by the winds' guidance that I was okay. The wind brought my grandmother, the shaman of our village, to me and she treated my wounds. What had happened on the train… Those people had been possessed by Soul Edge, no doubt about it." Phoenix felt herself intake a large amount of air, she suddenly started to worry. Why would Akuma do that? Wait… Had he even done it? He never appealed that way to her, but then again, she always got special treatment from him. She decided to keep her mouth shut and wait for Talim to finish before she interjected.

"I suspect that Soul Edge did not wish for Soul Calibur to awaken… Either that, or it wished that you would not acquire help. Perhaps it---"

"Stop." The sound of her voice surprised her but she spoke up all the same.

"Stop what? I am doing nothing." Talim said in a calm voice. She looked confused and a little worried due to Phoenix's accusation.

"Stop regarding Akuma as an 'it'. He's a person and has a name." She said in her slightly protective nature of her friend. She almost imagined Akuma grinning, glad to her defense. But the image faded as Talim shook her head but complied. The girl said nothing further and quite to their surprise, it was Kiashi who spoke up.

"So, your boyfriend is Soul Edge and you are Soul Calibur. Talim gets attacked but the question remains why? I think I know the answer and you will not like it." She said in a highly restrained voice. She had pinched her lips together, a move most unlike Kiashi. The girl had seemed all self confident before but it no longer seemed so. Talim pinched her nose but nodded, not really looking like she wanted to hear the information but would allow Kiashi to say it anyway. Phoenix watched in apprehension and said virtually nothing, just watching and waiting. Kiashi sighed; this conversation appeared to have a lot of sighing in it. She began right where she promised and began to speak in a low, melodic voice that rang with inner decisiveness to get the story done.

"As you know, it was me on the train, me who sat with the three of them. You also know that it was me who ended up with Talim and not Xianghua or Yun-Seong. Now that we are on the same page, let me start. I am from the village of Zanchuin, a Chinese province not far from where Alsmara is. I know I do not appear Chinese, for I am not. I was not born there but from what I have been able to discover of my past, I was brought there at an extremely young age." She took a deep breath in the middle of her monologue but Phoenix, nor Talim, thought to interrupt her. The story had started and the two of them would hear it to the end. Their lack of interruption seemed to spur Kiashi on.

"There have been stories, I hope you have heard, of another sword that was also associated with Soul Calibur and Soul Edge." Here, Phoenix heard Talim intake a large amount of air and turned round to look at her. She gasped at her interruption but spoke up.

"No… That sword was lost since ancient times!" She said, looking horrified and mystified at the exact same time. Kiashi looked at her with a fathomless expression and said nothing to the exclamation except a continuation of her story.

"As I was saying, there is another sword spoken about in correlation to the other two. Its name is the Chrono Sword." Here, Kiashi paused as if awaiting a dramatic moment but Phoenix did not know what was going on so it wasn't as dramatic. "Okay, I see that Phoenix must have no idea what I'm talking about because of her completely blank look. The Chrono Sword is a sword that can travel across dimensions and time. It is able to move freely but _only_ if there is a need of balance in one universe or time or such." Here, Talim looked disconcerted by this news but pursed her lips in the effort to stay silent. Phoenix overlooked the events with, as Kiashi said, a blank look on her face as she had no idea what was happening. Kiashi took another deep breath but continued.

"I do not know why I was chosen or why I even trust you. But my sword instinct seems to tell me that I must trust you and tell you this. I am the Chrono Sword, the fated sword to restore balance." Now, Phoenix finally got it and her hands shot up to her mouth. "I must tell you my story and explain my disposition. Long ago, in the era when mankind was just beginning, there were three swords, all of whose names you know. Soul Calibur and Soul Edge were always doing battle, but balance never existed. So one say, the third sword separated the two as to restore balance. Soul Edge broke into several fragments, scattering around the world as did Soul Calibur. The sword, whose job had been temporarily done, left from this world, more particularly, dimension." The other two raised eyebrows but allowed her to continue with no interruption.

"The sword left his land of man to travel to another one and over time, it traveled much of this existence. However, fools began to collect shards of Soul Edge, attempting to gather the sword. Likewise, many sought out the much less heard about sword, Soul Calibur. As it transpired, there were soon enough shards found to put both swords back in existence. Thus, a great war was formed and recently, it has calmed down. But now that Phoenix and Akuma, the incarnations of the two swords sought after by mankind have appeared, it is also my job to appear." She took a deep breath, as if awaiting some kind of response from the other two. Being as Phoenix gave no inclination to speak, Kiashi turned her piercing eyes upon Talim, who also appeared to be at a lose for words. The girl sighed and attempted to start up the conversation once again.

"There is still time, however. From what the two of you have told me, Akuma is already conscious of his power. By my estimate, we have a good two years to train you, Phoenix, into the art of what you are. I would be lying if I said that was enough time but for now, we must deal with what we have and not lament over what we do not." She said the words with a ringing force that was almost scary for a girl only of thirteen to produce. Kiashi raised her eyebrows to Phoenix and she felt herself willing to answer, as if she could confide in this mysterious sword girl.

"As right as you may be, how will you train me? It's not as if you have the powers of Soul Calibur or, forbid, Soul Edge." Phoenix said in a slight voice. She was tired and could not speak at a loud volume. The others nodded their consent and did not say anything on her lack of volume. Kiashi nodded in a sort of tired way as well and raised her eyebrows Talim sat there and waited for the blue haired girl to answer. Kiashi complied with a sigh and began.

"That is simple. While I am learning to use my powers, you will as well. The sword within you will teach you how to utilize its powers and if we train together, we will be powerful." Phoenix was vaguely tempted by this offer. To finally understand her powers and know how to use them would be such a blessing. However, how could this girl teach her anything that she did not already know? The question revolved in her head but she decided to let fate ease her way around this and nodded to Kiashi's words, feeling that the girl was telling the truth. A grin broke her features and Kiashi threw another grin at Phoenix.

"Thanks, Fee." She said. Phoenix looked up at her new nickname, never having one before and feeling a little giddy due to having one. Talim had watched the procession with an interesting face which was neither disapproving nor approving. She was simply inquisitive and watched the two as if they were the only things that existed in her world. Phoenix watched her with bright eyes until Talim spoke at last.

"Very well, I will leave you to that. Now, I don't mean any offence, but you two are really dirty after all the dancing and who knows what else." For the first time, Phoenix looked at her appearance and then at Kiashi. Talim was right, the two of them _were_ dirty. How embarrassing. "There are some hot springs you can bathe in, alright?" She gestured out the door and the other two bowed and nodded. Leaving on the anomalous note, the two left the temple together, down the water steps that they had come up from. They went in the direction Talim had indicated and settled into the atmosphere. Doing a quick peak to make sure Kiashi was indeed looking the other way, she stripped down to a towel and motioned Kiashi could do the same. The two nodded and slipped down into the silky waters of the hot springs.

"Ahhh, this feels nice." Phoenix commented. Kiashi merely grunted and their time in the hot springs passed quietly. Looking up at the sky, she received a jolt when she noticed that the sun was rising. They had spent a very long time at Talim's, apparently, if the sun was rising. She got up slowly, water falling down her body. A hot steam rose around her body, its warmth wrapping around her face. She sighed in relief as she wrapped a towel around her wet torso and thighs and flicked wet hair out of her eyes. Water fell in beads from her bangs and dripped down her face. Wiping her forehead, she slipped her feet into sandals lying by the corner of the hot springs. She raised a second towel to her head and vigorously rubbed her hair to dry it out a little. Smiling to herself, she turned to the hot spring to see her friend sitting with her eyes closed and her blue hair foaming around her shoulders. Walking over, she bent over her friend to make her look up.

"Hurry up, Kiashi. We need to get ready and you spending ten years in the hot springs isn't on my budget." Grinning, she shook her head and sprayed Kiashi with specks of water. She squealed and covered her eyes from the onslaught of water. When she was quite sure no more would be coming her way, she looked up and glared playfully.

"Phoenix, it would help if you turned away. I mean, I gave you respect when you got out and unless you are secretly a cross-dresser, you should turn too." Phoenix was about to say a bunch of things related to this cross-dresser thing but decided it would be best to say none, as they were all sexually related. She instead stuck out her tongue and turned in the other direction. She looked at the sunrise, streaking colors of scarlet and hues of red across the sky. She heard the splash of water and the sound of a towel as she traced small designs on the rocks. Humming to herself, her voice soared to the tune of the melody of a song as she waited. Before long, she heard Kiashi slip her feet into her sandals. Deeming it safe to turn, she found her wrapping a towel around her hair, water spiraling down her neck. Phoenix tapped her foot impatiently, causing Kiashi to go slower just to spite her. She appeared to be biting back laughter, which Phoenix was quick to reprimand.

"This isn't a joke! You know we have to do something after this!" Kiashi nodded and fell into step with Phoenix as the two of them made their journey back to the hotel. Skipping slightly, Phoenix led the way back, followed by a shivering Kiashi. She quickened her pace, causing Phoenix to speed up in order to keep up with her. The two friends made it through the clearing, their feet following the paved path that outlined the ground. The rising moon filtered through the trees and fell against their backs, giving their skin a bluish hue. Fighting their way past a particularly thick group of trees, the two friends came into the clearing that led to the resort. She stopped for a second, causing Kiashi to turn around in surprise.

"…Phoenix? Come on, we've got to get back to the resort…" She stood, waiting for her to stop being idle and follow her. She reached up and undid the towel from around her hair. Feeling Kiashi's eyes on her, she quickly wrapped the towel beneath her belly button to make a skirt. She rolled up the other towel so that it resembled a midriff. She ran finger through her wet hair and sighed, looking at her friend for the first time since stopping. Kiashi's green eyes displayed surprise but she said nothing. Trying for dignity and to cut the silence, Phoenix swished her hair through the air and let it settle down on her back.

"There's something that I sense… I feel like we should be mobile, that's all…" Kiashi did not comment as she raised her eyebrows so high that they immersed in her bangs. She quite evidently did not wish to do so as she let a sigh escape her lips. She copied Phoenix's actions while she narrowed her eyes in an annoyed manner, not asking for an explanation. Phoenix sent her an apologetic look and continued. "You never know…" She said as she turned. She noticed that she was farther from the resort than she had thought… And she hadn't moved saved for two paces. Pushing all the nervous thoughts out, she continued her walk to her destination. Just as she was about to open the door, Kiashi placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to once again turn. Her eyes were narrowed, her face had lost its annoyance. They stood there, facing each other until she finally spoke, breaking the tension with the sharpness of her voice.

"There's something wrong… I feel… it's just a feeling…" She tensed incredibly and motioned in the direction of the other resort . Phoenix's eyebrows contracted as she looked in the direction that had been indicated. Quite the opposite of finding a calm scene, she saw the bushes rustle and grabbed Kiashi's wrist. They both took a step towards the sound but before they could do anything, a deafening sound filled the forest. She changed tacks immediately and flung herself and Kiashi upon the ground. The cries of protest that came from her mouth were muffled as another deafening crash filled the area. Both of them hit ground hard and several leaves fell on top of them. Just as Phoenix was about to get up, a twig hit the back of her head and several more pelted both her and Kiashi. After waiting several seconds and deeming it safe, both Phoenix and her companion got up slowly.

However, the sounds were not the worst to come. About to whirl around and see what on earth happened, she felt the breath leave her lungs. Thinking it must have been Kiashi, she looked instinctively at the person's hair. The scent that reached her nostrils was not the scent of vanilla and bore no trace of her friend at all. Her knees bent as she hit the ground hard. Heaving a muffled yell, she registered to be Kiashi's, she heard a low male voice give a strangled yell. At the moment her head touched the ground, chunks of wood splayed the area where she had just been standing. Many huge pieces flew in the air as the explosion sounded through the forest. She gasped and not even knowing who had tackled her and Kiashi down, she buried her face in his chest as she caught the scent of fire. Breathing hard, the three of them stayed on the ground as the sounds faded and the smell of burying was carried off into the night air.

Several minutes after staying in this position, Phoenix finally opened her eyes and withdrew away from the boy that had tackled them down. Gasping once again, she recognized the moonlit face of a flame headed youth that Talim had described to be named Yun-Seong. Not wanting to stay in her awkward position much longer, she pushed him off her and stood up, tightening her towel as she did so. He stood up, his hair falling once again in his face. He shook it out of his eyes, but Phoenix could no longer wait for an explanation.

" What are you doing here?!" She tried to look menacing, but such effect was hard when she was only wearing two towels. Yun-Seong bent down and put an arm under Kiashi's legs and the other in a position where he could support her back. He stood up and glared at the moon before turning back to her.

"No time to explain here. You friend has fainted clean away. We have to get to Talim; she was the one who sent me after you guys. Lucky thing I found you." He began to walk off, leaving her with no option but to get to the hotel. They walked through the woods at a considerably quick pace considering the load Yun-Seong was carrying. She followed behind him shortly, her brain nervously reviewing the events. Her mind, however, could find no explanation and she drew a blank. She continued to follow, jogging a little to keep up with him now. Worry ebbed in her brain. She started to walk with her arms wrapped around her body. She sent a glance over her shoulder and hastened her pace to walk next to Yun-Seong. He sent her one look of worry and concern before turning forward and looking up at the moon.

"Um…" She began, causing him to turn towards her. "Why were you there? And don't give me the mysterious emo hero type, tell me the truth." Her brave stab at humor did not go unrewarded. He broke a smile and his eyes rolled at her joke. Adjusting Kiashi slightly, he started.

"I heard the explosion. Talim had told me where you were going and…I got worried. So I--" She cut him off by speaking over his voice and raising her own in turn.

"There's no way you could've known we were on that path at that time! What really happened?" She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes into slits. Yun-Seong sighed and shook his head, obviously in mental conflict with himself. He shook his head with a different intent as his hair moved away from his eyes. He took a deep breath and sighed before answering her.

"Talim sent me after you. She used the winds to detect where you had gone and where you were at that specific moment." Phoenix's eyes hardened briefly. But as she looked into his, she saw truth shining within them. Her eyes softened ever so gradually, her fear and suspicion of him ebbed away. She smiled shortly and looked back at his face.

"Okay…I believe you…but only because Talim seems to trust you!" She grinned in earnest and caused Yun-Seong to crack a broad grin in her direction. A groan from Kiashi brought them back to harsh reality and both stopped smiling. Yun-Seong shifted the weight of her within his arms and shrugged off the discomfort he was most likely feeling in carrying her. Phoenix put one of her cool hands against Kiashi's forehead and her ragged breaths seemed to still and subside. The two looked at each other and continued along their way. As they progressed through the forest, Phoenix suddenly became aware of the presence of water. She looked up in time to get hit in the eye before a steady downpour took place. She shook her head and groaned.

"I just got dry, too! C'mon, let's hurry!" Now running without a second thought, she heard his shuddering gasps and the soft wadding sound of his shoes on the wet grass. She felt the thin layer of towels progressively getting soaked through. She sighed again and ran faster through the woods, her long, wet hair splashing around her sides. The two of them sped up their progress and before long, she spotted the towering temple. Without so much as a backwards glance, she slammed the door open and rushed inside. She held it open with her foot, allowing Yun-Seong to run in after her. He nodded to her as he walked by and continued at a speedy pace. The pair of them ignored the collective gasps that surrounded them as they walked into the main room. A passing woman gave a "tsking" sound as she passed and shook her head in obvious disapproval. The butler actually fell over in surprise and just sat there, his mouth hanging open as if he was waiting for some kind of bug to fly into it. They strode up to the desk and wearily, Yun-Seong put Kiashi in Phoenix's arms. Slowly, he turned to face the lady behind the desk.

**-----------------------------------------------------------**

**AznHalfBreed - Okay, you know what, Hinaichigo?  
VideogameFangirl - What, oh dearest cousin?  
AznHalfBreed - STOP WITH THE STUPID CLIFF HANGERS!  
VideogameFangirl - Oh, poopy, they're fun to write! It's disaterrific!  
AznHalfBreed - You know, why do I feel like you don't know half of what you're doing all the time?  
VideogameFangirl - Because I DON'T know what I'm doing, tee-hee-hee! Hoped you like it! Reviews are welcome!  
AznHalfBreed - She's so weird... I can't be the only one thinking this... Please tell me I'm not the only one...**


	12. Chapter Ten – An Interlude of Memories

**VideogameFangirl - Okay, so, I was thinking...  
AznHalfBreed - Wait, you were thinking? Since when could you do that?  
VideogameFangirl - Hey, I'm in all honors and AP so shut your mouth! Anyway, what's wrong with cliff hangers if I update pretty fast?  
AznHalfBreed - I dunno, maybe the fact that they're annoying?  
VideogameFangirl - Oh, whatever. Yeah, I'll say it again although I don't know why I say it in EVERY chapter. I don't own Soul Calibur, Namco does! And, and, I'm hungry!  
AznHalfBreed - That has nothing to do with anything! ARG!  
VideogameFangirl - Tee-hee-hee! You're a pirate!**

**Chapter Ten – An Interlude of Memories**

"I'm looking for Talim, is she near here?" The lady's face relaxed as she realized just who these three people were. She nodded and pointed in the direction of the spiral staircase.

"Yes, she is up those steps. She has been anxiously awaiting your arrival and has come down over several times to check if you were here. After you go up the steps, the room is on your right." He nodded and led Phoenix up the steps as he took the load of Kiashi off her arms. The three went up, or, more accurately, the two of them went up the steps and made the immediate right, just as the lady had said. They found Talim pacing around the room, clearly agonizing over the fact that they had yet to come. She looked up immediately upon their entry and her face lightened. She used her winds to put the fainted body of Kiashi before making the two outfits of both Kiashi and Phoenix appear from mid-air. The outfit levitated over to Phoenix, who caught it. Kiashi's outfit fell beside her on the bed. Yun-Seong stared and it seemed as if he thought that perhaps he would be seeing something. Talim thought the same thing for she was quick to reprimand.

"Hold it, Yun. Phoenix has got to change, I'll let you know when it's… oh, you need a hair dryer. Let me get you one." She ran over to the suitcase and fell to her knees.

"Ugh…where…?" She continued to mumble as she threw item after item out of the suitcase. Yun-Seong went to leave but turned to say something before he did so. Unfortunately, as he turned, a tampon that had been in her bag flew and hit him in the face. He looked down to see what had hit him but quite evidently did not comment, although a renewed blush over took his features once more. He sat down next to Kiashi and hummed to himself, his eyes looking everywhere but at Talim or Phoenix. Finally finding the hair dryer, Talim stood up and turned.

"Yun-Seong…if you could just…um, go in the bathroom?" Yun-Seong got up quickly and after grabbing said hair dryer out of Talim's hands, strode into the bathroom. He slammed the door and before long, she heard the sound of a hair dryer and water being slapped on his face. "I shall depart and when you two are done, tell me so I may come back and explain." Talim left and closed the door behind her, blocking all the sounds from the outside. Phoenix got up and shook Kiashi and was grateful to see her eyes shift. She opened them slowly and turned them up Phoenix.

"Kiashi…c'mon…we have to dress…" She nodded but seemed unable to get up. She stared at Phoenix, who stared back and sighed. "How about you just close your eyes and wait 'till you can move properly. " Again, Kiashi nodded and Phoenix nodded back. Making sure her eyes were indeed closed, she began to dress. Warmth flooded her as she took off the wet towels and put on dry clothes. Finally peeling off the drenched towels from her torso, she slipped on her shirt and shook her head. Water sprayed everywhere, splashing her in the process. Wrapping all her wet hair on top of her head where it could air dry for the moment, she turned back to Kiashi who was sitting up. Striding over to Kiashi's suitcase, she called over to her.

"Okay, I'm set." Phoenix took careful note not to turn to look at her. After a few minutes, Kiashi gave a soft sigh and patted the bed, which Phoenix took to be her sigh for it to be okay to turn. She was in front of the mirror and motioned for Phoenix to come stand beside her. She came over and shook her head.

"No, we have to get Talim, I'll be back." She said to the girl who had always showed such incredible strength, yet had been the first to fall. Phoenix wondered as she turned out the door why Kiashi had fainted. It wasn't as if Kiashi was the one who had very little strength, like herself. Wait, that wasn't exactly true either. She sighed one more time and poked her head out the door.

"Talim! We're ready! You can bring flame-head in too!" She called out. She felt a gentle breeze strike her face in a response and the wind girl materialized from the air and landed gracefully on her feet. The sound of the hair dryer came to an end and Yun-Seong came out from the bathroom where he had been lodging until he could leave the room. He walked behind Talim and Phoenix rather thought that she saw a flash of tenderness in his eyes as he looked at the girl that was a foot shorter than himself. Sensing a budding romance, Phoenix grinned to herself as she turned to allow the other two to follow her. Entering said room, they closed the door behind them and headed over towards the set of beds that resided in it. After settling down, Talim was quick to jump into explanation.

"We don't have a lot of time, in fact, I'm surprised the whole village hasn't been attacked yet. It would seem that this is the first wave of attack to be sent by Soul Edge." Still unable to comprehend what was going on, she closed her eyes and thought of Akuma for the briefest instant. The image of their last moment together sprung into her mind and she opened her eyes fast so that she would not have to think of such things and so that she could hear what Talim was saying. "Soul Edge, or Akuma, I should say, has decided to wage war on us who support Soul Calibur in the hopes that Phoenix will reveal herself." Phoenix got up, eager and slightly dreading the instant when she would see Akuma. Her yearning took precedence and she made to go to the door. Talim looked worried all of a sudden and signaled something to Yun-Seong. He nodded and held her wrist so that she couldn't move. She wasn't a fool, she wasn't about to fight against him. She sat down, a pout on her face. Kiashi either ignored all this or simply had no care for what was going on for the girl refused to stay focused on the conversation.

"No, Phoenix, he's not here. He must be sending energy from his stronghold or, even worse, another world." Kiashi, for the first time, looked interested and raised an eyebrow, demanding for an explanation. "Worse because if he really is transferring energy from another world, then he has to have a vast reservoir. But also, then that means that I can no longer accompany you and neither can Yun-Seong." Phoenix felt it was her turn to ask questions and figured it was time for her to start getting answers.

"What do you mean? Why can't you come with us? And speaking of Yun-Seong, what happened when you guys got separated?" She asked. She could see that both budding lovers tensed and became considerably tight jawed. Under the influence of the look Kiashi gave the two of them, it was Yun-Seong who caved in first.

"It's simple, really. See, your life force is connected to your world of birth. Naturally, mine, as well as Talim's, would reside here. If you were to leave your life force for too long, you would die. However, you might be asking why you two can go and how come he can as well. The answer to that is simple as well. If you think about it, your life force resides to the swords that you have been reincarnated from. In other words," He added, seeing the confused looks of the girls' faces. "You travel with your life force as all three swords have no true ties to the land." The answer seemed complex but it was like he said, it really was simple. Sense rushed in but the answer to her second question remained to be answered and she cocked an eyebrow, offering no response until she got hers. Yun-Seong saw her jaw set in a stubborn line and continued.

"Ah, you want the answer to your second question. No biggie. After I got separated from all the hotness in this short one," He said and Phoenix could've sworn that Talim looked pleased and her cheeks must've reddened several degrees. Whoa. "I was stuck with hyper-active-don't-give-two-whatevers-about-anyone Xianghua. Nah, I'm kidding. The two of us figured out which direction the forest would lead that would take us to Talim's village. However, Xianghua had to go the opposite direction to find her Kilik so she left me to fend for myself. We split the food right down the middle and departed after the sun had risen in the sky." Again, sense came to her head and Phoenix smiled at him. Talim still sat clamp-jawed, however, this was most likely due to embarrassment. Kiashi thought that the situation was funny as well for she released a small snort but managed to pull it off as a cough and a sneeze. Like that was possible. Kiashi wiped her hand on the side of her face and spoke up for the first time all conversation.

"Sounds wonderful. Well, Fee, let's go." She said, getting up fast and striding to the door. Phoenix stared blankly after her but hastened to follow. The two got to the door before Talim released a sound of protest, making them turn.

"Wait, hang on! I want to give you something!" The wind girl rushed over and withdrew two stones that seemed to be quite ordinary. Phoenix took note of a similar stone around Talim's neck, except this one was full of designs and intricate colors. Talim saw her stare and smiled. "These stones reflect your inner thoughts and who you really are. If you wear them, then, winds be willing, you will receive good luck should you ask the winds for it." She placed one stone around Kiashi and another around Phoenix. Kiashi's stone immediately turned into a storm of violet, blue, and black. As Phoenix watched, the stone carved designs into itself. These designs seemed to fit Kiashi's personality. Looking down, she saw the only two colors her stone was emitting was a haze of red and silver with a tint of blue. She wondered what it meant and found that her designs seemed to be similar to what she always drew. Before she could look into such in closer detail, the small girl turned the two around.

"Off you go!" She said with a hint of regret. They left the room and Phoenix noticed that neither Talim nor Yun-Seong followed them. They headed down the spiral steps and with a curt wave, the pair left the temple behind them, no longer looking back. As they felt the cool, crisp night air hit their faces, Phoenix looked up with a hint of longing at the starry sky. Was Akuma really looking for her? Did he really care that much? Her heart began to burn with yearning as she stared back up at the sky that was streaked with blue, black, and the lights of millions of stars.

'_He loves me… Isn't that what he said? I wish he was here… I wish he was here so I could be in his strong arms and the two of us could look up into the sky as we always did when we were younger… Akuma… I miss you… But violence isn't the way to save me, is it? Why…? Why couldn't we be normal…?' _She shook her head in an attempt to organize the thoughts inside. _'No, if we were normal, I would not have met Kiashi, Talim, Yun-Seong, or anyone that I have on this amazing adventure. I should really thank Soul Calibur; it granted me friends and love.' _Little did Phoenix know that the stone around her neck had turned lilac with tints of pink randomly dispersed in it, yellow outlining the borders of her stone. She closed her eyes but felt cool fingers re-open them. Her eyes turned to see Kiashi, staring at her with wonder written in her face.

"What are you thinking about? I bet it's your love, Akuma, oh, you fickle little teen." She said with a grin that was indeed contagious for Phoenix found herself smiling as well. Kiashi continued further, the grin still on her face. "That's cute, but we have more important things to speak of." The grin faded but her look was inquisitive so Phoenix took it she was not angry. It was then she remembered that Kiashi had fainted and curiosity burned in her like acid.

"Oh, that's right? Why'd you faint? Any real reason or did you just want to?" Kiashi lightly punched her in the shoulder for the last comment and a lighter look overtook her face.

"I thought you'd ask. Your boyfriend did that." She said it abruptly, which caused Phoenix to stop smiling all together. Akuma made Kiashi faint? But why? "He was trying to get you, I think. I'm not really sure what he was planning but I sort of felt this feeling in my head, like it was this desire to kill and love at the same time. It was so strong that I blocked out. I'm sensitive to stuff like that, that's why I don't show emotion because when I do, I faint." She ended her monologue on a delicate note which made Phoenix want to send her a look of sympathy. She knew better, however, knowing that Kiashi would box her ears in if she did such a thing.

"Oh…" That was about all she could think to say at the current moment in time. It filled the silence but only for a few seconds. Kiashi took it in stride and attempted a grin to break that tension that she had just caused between them.

"Hey, don't sweat it. If I were possessed by Soul Edge, I'm sure I would go on killing sprees too. " Phoenix nodded glumly, feeling horrible that she couldn't be with him. If he hadn't decided to run away, she could've kept him with her and controlled Akuma's desire to kill. But according to Kiashi, _she_ was the one to restore balance between them, not Phoenix. It was an odd perception. The forest thickened around them, they had left the wind village behind. In the very thick of the trees, there was total darkness. No light was able to shine through and with a gaze up, Kiashi refocused on Phoenix. The only way the two were able to see one another was by the handy light around their neck. And, of course, the light that came from inside the folds of Phoenix's clothes.

"You should put the sword on your waist or learn to… Oh, you can't summon, never mind." Phoenix was genuinely confused by the comment so Kiashi had to go into further detail. "I meant, Akuma is so good with his powers that he can summon his sword. So can I. It's really easy. All you have to do is close your eyes and reach inside yourself for the chi of your sword. It should materialize. Here, try it." Kiashi reached for the sword and after a slightly awkward moment during which Kiashi withdrew the sword from Phoenix's clothes, the girl threw it into some faraway bushes. Phoenix glared at her, causing Kiashi to look in disapproval.

"No, clear your mind! It has to be devoid of such things!" She scolded. Phoenix stuck out her tongue in a semi-glare and closed her eyes. She felt her anger and slight frustration ebb out of her and slowly, her mind went blank. She reached for whatever Kiashi had talked about but all she could see was incredibly bright light. Unknowingly, as she reached for it in her mind, her sword arm also raised as well. She felt a burst of warmth and heard a gasp from Kiashi. She opened her eyes to find a sword unlike any other in her hand. Shooting a look at the bushes, she realized that her sword and sheath were no longer there.

"So _this_ is Soul Calibur. It's so pretty… Alright, now all I need to do is summon mine and we're off." She also closed her eyes and Phoenix watched the same process unfold in Kiashi. However, the sword that came was unlike hers as well. It was hard to tell what is was made out of, perhaps copper or something like that? The problem was that it was way too shiny to pass off as that. Figuring it was made of something she could not identify, Phoenix shrugged and Kiashi opened her eyes. "Alright, now put your sword on top of mine." Phoenix complied but couldn't bite back her question in time.

"How do you know what we're supposed to do?" She asked. A cat-like grin spread on Kiashi's face and she looked into Phoenix's eyes.

"The sword tells me. It can track the two of you the same way you know where to find the best food." Phoenix blushed, just how much did this blue haired vixen know of her? She might as well call her a sneaky fox and be done with it. "Alright, repeat after me. _In the name of the holy sword that only I possess,"_

"_In the name of the holy sword that only I possess,"_ Phoenix began right after Kiashi, eager to see what would happen.

"_Let its light be my guide, allow its entity to flow into my body."_ The girl continued, not pausing or breaking to allow Phoenix a rest.

"_Let its light be my guide, allow its entity to flow into my body." _Phoenix copied her precisely. The instant she was done, Kiashi resumed.

"_Link to the one other who is like us, as two cannot complete three," _Kiashi said lightly, her voice getting softer, as opposed to what Phoenix thought, thinking it would get louder.

"_Link to the one other who is like us, as two cannot complete three," _She repeated the words perhaps a shade slower than Kiashi; she didn't want to mess up.

"_Allow three to become one, let our essences combine," _The words were sounding like a pledge of some sort but Phoenix repeated them nonetheless. She did not open her eyes as she spoke.

"_Allow three to become one, let our essences combine," _Kiashi plowed right on with the next line of the verse when Phoenix finished.

"_Grant us the ability to go forth and seek our comrade and restore right from so much wrong." _Kiashi sounded like she finished and Phoenix hastened to repeat.

"_Grant us the ability to go forth and seek our comrade and restore right from so much wrong." _Kiashi must've opened her eyes for a quick pinch on Phoenix's hand made her open her own pair.

"Now, say the name of your sword, quickly. I will say mine first as I initiated and you follow. The title of your sword will flow to your mind." She closed her eyes and Phoenix closed her own. Kiashi soon began to speak in a voice that did not sound like hers at all.

"_Conqueror of all time, master of dimensions, bearer of the key of travel, Chrono Sword!" _The last words rang in Phoenix's ears and before her ears could adjust, she felt her own tongue began to sound out the formal title of her sword.

"_Protector of souls, keeper of the door to freedom, guardian of light purity, Soul Calibur!" _Phoenix said with a voice most unlike her own. She felt a pure light and a soft breeze circle the two, causing their hair to ascend towards the sky. She felt her clothes fan out and felt herself be lifted off the ground. The next words came right to her and both girls said the next and last verse in sync.

"_Bring us to the destroyer of sanity, hand of death and hell, demon of chaos, Soul Edge!" _The words cut into the cold night air and she felt the impulse to open her eyes. Both she and Kiashi stared at one another as the breeze picked up and surrounded them. Her hair unraveled from its neat keeping and blew around her body. Kiashi's did the same. Their swords spiraled above them and their hands became linked with one another and the light turned into all different hues. Both she and her companion closed their eyes against the sudden wave of light and she felt soft arms engulf her body.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**VideogameFangirl - There, all done with that one. Hey, Masshuu, I'm almost done!  
AznHalfBreed - You... are?  
VideogameFangirl - YEAH!  
AznHalfBreed - Great, now I won't have to commentate!  
VideogameFangirl - But... I don't know what to do next...  
AznHalfBreed - You're kidding, right? You can't be serious.  
VideogameFangirl - I am, I don't know what to do. So, um, guess it's writer's block!  
AznHalfBreed - Oh videogame goddess, not that.  
VideogameFangirl - Yeah, so we're gonna put it an extra story while I think of what to do!  
AznHalfBreed - Oh goddess no... Save me, please...!**


	13. Chapter Eleven – Worlds and Perceptions

**VideogameFangirl - Oh my goddess, third to last chapter!  
AznHalfBreed -YES! NO MORE TALKING!  
VideogameFangirl - I said third to last, not last, Masshuu.  
AznHalfBreed - Oh, that sucks. Whatever, let's make this fast, then. She doesn't own anything related to Soul Calibur, Namco does.  
VideogameFangirl - But...!  
AznHalfBreed - No, shut up, the people don't want to hear... or read you saying something stupid.  
VideogameFangirl - ...What a fuddy duddy...**

**Chapter Eleven – New Worlds and New Perceptions**

Her feet fell lightly upon the ground and Phoenix felt the breeze dim into nothing. Immediately, her hair felt o her sides, as her clothes settled upon her body. Her eyes opened so that she could see this new world and discovered Kiashi opening her pair of golden eyes. The violet set in once again and her appearance reverted back to normal. The swords fell from the sky and the tip of each gently touched the forehead of its rightful owner. They dissolved into nothing and faded in the air before her very eyes. So much was a mystery but she felt pounding joy in her heart as she was reunited with her sword. She felt it react in joy as well as she felt great happiness expand in her chest. Kiashi did not relinquish hold on her hands but let go of her left one so that her left hand and Phoenix's right were still linked.

"What a wonderful place… Actually, not really. It's a little drab." She could tell Kiashi was being sarcastic, the girl's eyes were alit with the sort of joy that comes with seeing new worlds. Both girls gazed around at the atmosphere that was both foreboding and welcoming at the same time. Kiashi most likely did not want to show her newfound delight to such a magical place and took to looking solemn. She finally relinquished hold on Phoenix's hand and her hand felt mysteriously empty without supporting weight. She rubbed the feeling off, that didn't matter. She cradled her empty hand within her other and looked around at the sky. It was a shocking color, somewhere between yellow and white, specks of black floating around randomly.

"Where… are we?" She asked the girl standing next to her. For the life of her, she would probably never understand this blue haired beauty, she was so unpredictable. Kiashi sniffed the air (yes, that's what I meant. She sniffed the air…) around them and her nose wrinkled as if in disgust. Her eyes scrunched up for the shortest time but then she relaxed.

"I'm not really sure… I'd guess somewhere where there is the strong presence of Twilight…" Now at a loss for words, Phoenix tilted her head to the side and merely blinked at her friends. Kiashi saw that she was being vague and unclear for the girl expanded.

"Oh, I meant, Twilight as in the presence of something that… oh well, I can't explain it. Okay, let me try. Twilight is a substance, moreover, almost like a closed space, which resides in an area. It transforms all living creatures who are not Twili into souls. Basically, they now only exist as souls and cannot associate or see any other outside forces that have not been affected as they have." Phoenix was starting to see and looked around at her body immediately. She looked around in an equally rash manner but could not see any souls. Kiashi started to laugh; maybe this was a good sign.

"Ha-ha! You should've guessed that because we're not from this world, we are impervious to it's' effects. We are still in our bodies, we can't be effected." Phoenix nodded in agreement but truth be told, she had absolutely no idea of what was going on. Kiashi rolled her eyes at Phoenix's supposed innocence and naivety at the whole situation. Phoenix half-grinned at it all but her raised eyebrows showed her real agitation at the thing.

"Okay, you got me. But what exactly are we doing here?" The question came from a very skeptic Phoenix. She looked to Kiashi for an answer but all she got from the friendly, if slightly sarcastic girl, was a shrug. Kiashi looked to the sky and she watched her do so. Before long, the sarcastic, cocky one broke the silence.

"Let's explore. If he leaves this place, we'll know." We'll be able to catch him; what's more, we'll most likely be able to stop him. That's my hope, anyway." But Phoenix didn't exactly share the same views as her companion.

'_I don't want to just catch him. I want to hold him close to me and hear him say the words that have never left my mind since that day.' _She thought to herself. She, however, posed a completely different view to Kiashi. "Oh, sure, if we're lucky. We better get a move-on if we want to do that, then." She said in a hesitant way. Kiashi caught wind of the hesitance but said nothing in the event that she happened to notice. The vixen turned and began to trot down the hill, Phoenix forced to follow. The two girls fell into step and with an unknown aura around them, they began to travel around the land. As they did, she rather thought that she saw something in the distance. It looked like a town. As they got closer, she noticed a bridge and with Kiashi's urging, the two crossed and entered into a gate. Silence pressed upon her ears and she looked around for some other sign of life. They had arrived in what looked to be a town square, if that was possible. She suddenly felt Soul Calibur lurch as if it wanted her to think or do something that would trigger its being. She closed her eyes and instantly, sounds of the market filled her head. She opened her eyes and heard nothing, although she now saw that the town was full of souls.

"Oh, wow!" She said in exclamation. "It looks so pretty!" She reached out to touch someone on the shoulder and relished that they could not see her. No baddies of Soul Edge could follow them here. She turned to Kiashi but the girl did not share her elation.

"This is... unexpected… I wonder if he did this…" She seemed to be wondering out loud and Phoenix left her to it. Her legs felt a tug to walk forward and without waiting for her friend, she set forth through the streets. She could've sworn she heard an exclamation from Kiashi, trying to call her back. But if she heard it, she ignored it and continued further through the streets and people. Almost skipping with joy, she went into the town pavilion located at the center of the plaza. She poked her head out, it was boring without people being able to see her. She felt a rush of excitement as she traveled through the incredibly large place and stared at the new wonders of the world. What was this place? As if to answer her question, a sign caught her interest and she looked at it.

"Hyrule Castle Town? What is that? Is Hyrule the land we're in?" She wondered out loud to herself. Her eyes flicked to the decorative banners above the castle entrance and she felt curiosity eat at her insides. She entered in, her legs moving to their own accord, and headed in to the courtyard.

"_Phoenix…" _She stopped dead as she thought she heard her voice. Her silver hair bounced at her sides and she looked around for the source but found none. Where… Where was it? Or where was he? She now registered the voice to be male and her heart sped up, the traitorous bastard, as she thought of Akuma.

"A… Akuma?" She called tentatively. She almost heard a tinkling laugh in response and stopped dead.

"_Yes, come to the castle. Come to me." _She felt her legs began to carry her towards the entrance. One set of spiral steps and once past those, she would be with him. Her heart pumped blood so that is sounded in her mind and the only thing she could hear was his gentle voice, urging her forward.

"PHOENIX!" She heard the yell come from somewhere and felt something hard collide with her body. It was only by seeing the head of blue hair and the gothic Lolita clothes that she was able to tell that it was Kiashi who had stopped her. She fell in a tangle with her friend and attempted to get up, she wanted to find him. "Stop struggling! Oh hell!" Kiashi brought back her hand and slapped Phoenix hard across her face. She felt the pain come into her brain and suddenly, sense flooded into her mind. She sat there, astounded but her mind was working right. She blinked several times until the haze faded from her mind.

"God… Stupid girl, what the hell were you thinking?!" Kiashi was still swearing darkly as she dragged Phoenix away from the castle and out of the town square. She didn't let her firm grip on Phoenix's wrist fade until she had dragged her away and out of the town. Breathing hard, Phoenix withdrew her hand but didn't attempt to move. Kiashi sent a glare that rang with animosity towards the castle before she turned back to Phoenix, her look softening considerably.

"Sorry about slapping you, it's the only way to break a trance." She said it in a way that indicated that she was not truly angry at Phoenix. She stood dazed and stared at Kiashi until the vixen started the conversation again. "You were in a trance." She explained shortly. "Akuma was controlling you to be his sex slave. Actually, not really. He was just controlling you." Phoenix broke out laughing, embarrassment and frustration ringing in her laugh. Leave it to Kiashi to make a sexual joke with everything that was happening. Her laugh rang in the silence and Kiashi brought forth her own laugh as she joined in.

"Yeah, I wish." She said, without realizing what she just said. Kiashi stared and stared until she finally clutched her sides, doubled over with laughter.

"You WISH?! Ah-ha-ha, you want to go lose your virginity so soon? Then I'll sell you to the brothel!" Phoenix whacked her friend upside the head but fell over on to the ground, laughter the only sound she could make. She was becoming breathless and Kiashi soon followed. The two got caught up in the joy of the moment, forgetting temporarily where they were and why they were there. Finally, wiping tears from her eyes, Phoenix regained herself and spoke in a would-be clear voice in an attempt to win back seriousness.

"If I wanted to lose it that badly, there are plenty of other places to go, you weirdo." She said. The last comment brought out a whole new wave of laughter that left the two girls on the ground, unable to move due to the strong waves of laughter. Phoenix fell to her knees and then proceeded to roll right down the hill as she had no means to stop herself. Kiashi soon followed as the other girl was breathless and didn't have her usual reflexes up. Both girls eventually hit something at their long roll to the bottom of the hill. It smacked into contact with Phoenix's face and hit Kiashi in her arm.

"Ow…" Phoenix rubbed the sore spot on her head before looking up in utter disdain. Kiashi wiped tears from her eyes and looked as if she were about to say something else when she caught sight of what Phoenix had bumped into. The ghost of her smile was only apparent for a few more seconds before that was wiped away too and all that was replaced was the same disdain Phoenix showed. Both girls got up fast and clutched their sore stomachs. What they had bumped into was a…

"Twili creature! Crap, run for the tree!" Kiashi yelled and Phoenix was quick to follow. Before the creature could turn around, Phoenix scooted away as fast as her legs would let her. She ran to the nearby tree (conveniently placed nearby… suspicious if you asked her…) and scaled the branches with professional skills. She grabbed a branch and hauled herself up as Kiashi did the same thing. Good thing the creature hadn't sensed them…

"What in the name of all things cannon is that thing?!" She yelped in fright. Kiashi put a hand over her mouth and both tensed as the creature meandered over to where they were hiding. As luck would have it, the creature turned right back around and galloped over to where it had been lurking. Both girls sighed in relief, after, Kiashi turned to glare at Phoenix and began to hiss at a low volume.

"Augh, don't make stupid noises that will alert them to our presence! Twili creatures like to beat the crap out of you, that's all you need to remember. The two of us can take the pack on, believe me, there is never just one. Probably six or seven by estimate. Ten if we're unlucky. They travel in herds and kill in them too." Phoenix shivered but nodded. The two of them would have to team up to beat this round of opponents. She was scared but know it was pointless to show it. Her thoughts roamed to Akuma, he would be here, would he not? That knowledge alone made her feel better but the thought of losing her soul did not.

"Okay, on my count… One… Two… THREE!" Both girls jumped from their perch on the tree and summoning her sword before her, Phoenix landed on top of the creature and killed it in one blow. It exploded in an array of dust, leaving her coated in powdered dead guy. Kiashi had the same result when she attacked one of its companions. Both girls looked at each other and then at the procession in front. One creature after another was coming down the hill, Phoenix did a head count. She stopped at twenty, there were far more.

"I thought you said groups of six or seven!" Phoenix couldn't help but keep desperation in her voice as the hoard surrounded the girls from all directions. Kiashi bit her lip and glared in full at Phoenix.

"I did!" Of course, Phoenix didn't ask where they had all come from. The answer to that was obvious and in the form of Akuma. She narrowed her eyes; no way would he see her weak. Summoning her strength within her, she felt the familiar blue light pulsate out so that it could protect her. She stepped in front of Kiashi and the vixen looked surprised.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" But the answer became apparent as the blue light around Phoenix grew and began to expand. The creatures in their immediate area began to back up but Phoenix would not let them escape. She would destroy each and every one of them. The blue light exploded out of her with force and stretched to cover the army of creatures. She heard each one scream as it was destroyed but she didn't stop. Kiashi even voiced protest but her power was beyond her control now. It circled around the field and didn't stop until everything that opposed them was dead. Her power spiraled out of her body and ended in an upwards twist. With effort, she forced it back into her body and the tornado of blue light returned to its source. After a few minutes, she felt her strength leave her, as she knew it would, and she felt her legs wobble. Kiashi rushed over and she felt energy course through her again. Kiashi held her hand until Phoenix was strong enough not to faint and participate in shouse fights. After Phoenix looked recovered, the girl moved in for the kill.

"You… IDIOT!" She said as she slapped Phoenix across the face. Phoenix didn't even retaliate and just stood and took the pain. It seemed that was all Kiashi wished to do for the girl did nothing more than glare at this point. "You stupid idiot! You shouldn't use your powers this close to Soul Edge! What's worse, if we had been lucky enough where he didn't know where we were, we no longer are! If you were looking to fight him, well, you've up and done it!" Kiashi was not pleased and continued to glare at Phoenix. For the life of her, Phoenix was not terribly offended and scratched her nose. Even this qualified to tick Kiashi off.

"You are such a carefree idiot! Augh!" She made the same noise of frustration that she always made whenever something annoyed her. The girl sat down, breathing hard, and stared at Phoenix through very narrowed eyes. She wiped the blue hair away from her forehead and continued. "That was VERY reckless and you could've… "The ranting Kiashi looked up to see Phoenix's look of indifference and stopped ranting at once. Her face took on gentle as she gazed at Phoenix. She stopped looking angry long enough for Phoenix to sit down beside her without fear of retaliation.

"You really don't care, do you? You want him to come." She began in a soft voice. Phoenix neither confirmed nor denied this news; she simply continued to look blankly at the landscape. "Regardless of what you want, Phoenix, it is unwise to do such rash things just because you can and you want to." She said, her voice holding her reprimanding nature in it. Phoenix nodded glumly but spoke up.

"I know… I just really want to see him… He's so close, Kiashi, I just…" That was all she could get out but Kiashi nodded to show that she understood. It was the mark of their friendship that Kiashi understood. Kiashi moved her head to face the castle and Phoenix heard Kiashi intake a large amount of air. She followed the sound and turned her head as well. Her pair of eyes widened as she saw what she had wanted to see. However, she now understood why Kiashi had yelled at her. It had been foolishness to summon her powers just to see Akuma… She still had no knowledge of how to properly use her powers whereas he… Kiashi backed up and brought the reluctant form of Phoenix with her. Both girls stood up from their kneeling positions, not wanting to seem defenseless. Phoenix forced her eyes to look up into the pair of the person she had so wished to see. She swallowed, perhaps out of fear and maybe something else, which caused Akuma to grin slowly. Kiashi's eyes took in all of his features and Phoenix was surprised to see that she didn't look overly threatened by him.

"So much power yet so misguided…" He shook his head and took a step nearer to the two. Phoenix held her ground this time and refused to move. Kiashi assumed battle position, her sword at the ready. Phoenix's heart wasn't in it and her eyes widened as she watched her blade disappear right before her eyes. Akuma stopped shaking his head and looked at her with genuine interest. He closed the distance so that there were only a few feet (if that) between them. Kiashi pushed Phoenix behind her and growled. Like Phoenix had said, the girl was remarkably like a fox.

"Watch it, Soul Edge." She snarled. "It's my job to restore balance but I won't hesitate to hurt you." She said. Akuma rolled his eyes and his arm was held out at the ready, like her sword. With a flick of his wrist, red bonds appeared around Kiashi's body and bound her. Her friend was lifted into the air, where she struggled against the grip. The Chrono Sword, or the material form of it, dropped to the ground and disappeared. Kiashi suddenly stopped struggling and closed her eyes. Phoenix knew she was summoning her inner essence; that would take time. Why was she so nervous? Akuma apparently knew what was up too, for he tightened his fingers into a fist and began to wrap the bonds around her tighter. Kiashi screamed but even that died down; her friend fainted. With her body hanging limp, she almost looked dead. Knowing it not to be so, Phoenix reached for Kiashi's life force and felt it. Sighing with a relief that did not last, she assumed a defensive position.

"Hm, I expected you to welcome me more, Fee." That nickname caused a budding of emotion in her chest to which Phoenix found it hard to quell. What kind of effects did Akuma have on her? He took a few steps closer and Phoenix protested.

"Stop! Don't come any closer! I'll… I'll stop you!" Akuma raised his eyebrows in a skeptic manner and Phoenix knew he didn't believe her for a second. She tried her utmost to look threatening but it wasn't exactly working as she was also doing mental conflict with the fact that she yearned for him to be closer. She bit her lip but Akuma spotted her inner turmoil.

"Try as you will, Phoenix, but you and I both know one thing." He took several steps closer so that Phoenix was looking up in order to keep eye contact. Since when had he gotten so tall? "If you continue to love me, I will always have power over you." He said it simply but the truth of his words cut into her. It was true. While the two might love one another, he could use it to his advantage.

"But it is my weakness as well. I do not wish to hurt you," His hand reached out. She flinched but had no reason to. His hand stroked her cheek gently and he smiled softly. "I meant what I said." He said the words slowly so he could watch the effect on her. Phoenix's eyes began to sparkle, try as she might to stop it. She managed to quell the smile that threatened to play on her lips and she hiccupped slightly, her voice wavering as she contemplated the fact that he was right.

"That may be… But—"Her feeble protest was cut short as he leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead. Forgetfulness was a trait she had particularly when she was with him and she suddenly forgot he was Soul Edge and she was Soul Calibur. She forgot Kiashi, who was still unconsciousness. She forgot why she was here and why he was a threat to her. The only thing that she retained was a clear vision of the boy in front of her and his dazzling eyes. Akuma smiled at her and brought her in for a hug. Her heart pounded, it had turned rebellious to her wishes since day one with Akuma, and her breath hitched a little bit as she felt his soft breath on her ear. She leaned into his strong chest and swallowed as she felt her legs become weak. She felt a vibration in his chest and knew he was most likely laughing at her. She looked up at him and saw that her suspicion was correct.

"Phoenix, why don't you forget everything? We could be together always and everything would be okay." The prospect was so nice and she had to remind herself not to fall victim. Akuma continued, not allowing her to argue. "We could kiss right now and forget everything… Just say yes, Fee. That's all you have to do." He leaned in ever closer to her, his lips mere inches from her own. Forgetfulness would be nice. Her mouth wanted to say the word, just that one word would end her troubles. But then, she felt the sword that lived within her and reality flooded back to her. These were just the words of Soul Edge, the sword she must stop lest it wreck havoc on the land. She wasn't going to give up without a fight, Soul Calibur would protect her. She had to believe in her goodness, not her wants. She shook her head slowly and softly, not in an offensive manner but forceful enough to tell him what she wanted.

"I'm sorry… But I cannot." He looked regretful at her opinion and her decision. He closed his eyes and closed whatever distance there was between them. Her mind went blank once again, as it always did when he was this near. She tasted his scent once again, feeling his strong arms around her, just as she had wanted. She tried not to surrender but her eyes closed of their own accord and she no longer fought. The kiss only lasted for seconds but to her, it seemed to be several minutes. He let the pressure of his lips on hers go and backed away so that the inches of distance returned. Phoenix looked into his face and saw that he had been genuine about how he felt and felt a stab of regret. She had made the right decision so why did it feel so wrong?

"If you weren't Soul Calibur and I wasn't Soul Edge…" He didn't have to finish, she knew what he wanted to say. If she wasn't Soul Calibur and he wasn't Soul Edge, they could be together with no conflicts. If they hadn't been given this destiny, then they could love without fear. While this rang true, it wasn't reality and she felt his frustration as he bit his lip. He felt just like her and probably wished for what she wished. "Phoenix…" So much was put into her name that it was shocking. Desire, frustration, hope, and many other emotions, just in one word, so many things placed in two syllables. Her eyes portrayed the sorrow she felt but she flashed it down and brushed his bangs away from his eyes. His hands held the one near his face and he looked at her with innocence. Whatever he had wanted to say was cut off by Kiashi, who had been assuming unconscious. A thin shaft of light separated them, Phoenix dodged by sliding down, Akuma by leaning back. All contact was broken and she whirled around to see Kiashi floating down from the sky. She landed on her feet and aimed another blast at Akuma. With a scowl, he faded into the air and within moments, he was gone. Disbelief struck her; couldn't she ever just _be_ with him for longer than a few minutes? She turned and looked up into the eyes of Kiashi and saw that they burned more violet now with specks of their former golden color. Kiashi looked down as if she regretted what she had done as kneeled beside Phoenix.

"Fee, I'm sorry." Hate bubbled at the use of this nickname by another. While it had been Kiashi who had thought of it, it now only sounded right from Akuma's lips. She didn't glare but she didn't smile or thank Kiashi either. The girl continued, sensing her pain. "You know I had to do it. If you had stayed with him for too long, it could have caused chaos and who knows what else." Kiashi said in her haughty and well-reasoned voice. True, it was definitely true, but Phoenix refused to admit this at well. She sat with a pout on her lips as she stared at Kiashi.

"It always feels like such a short time…" She began, not caring to look at Kiashi for fear of breaking down and crying. "Always, always… So close and yet so…" She reached out a hand as if she was going to grab him but her fist closed around thin air. It was disappointing and one of the many aftereffects that her fate had on her life. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her legs and formed a tight ball. She felt a single tear fall down her face and pinched her face so that she could stop herself from crying. Kiashi noticed this internal struggle and leaned down, her strong eyes offering reassurance for Phoenix.

"I understand, Phoenix, but know that it'll be the two of us for a bit. I'm going to support you and protect you so that you don't do anything silly. I promise, I'll be your guide." Kiashi leaned down and put a hand on Phoenix's shoulder and the confused girl understood that she had made a loyal friend.

**--------------------------------------------------------**

**VideogameFangirl - MMF! MMF! MMMMM!  
AznHalfBreed - Why did I never think to do this earlier? Oh, the wonders of shipping tape...  
VideogameFangirl - MMMMMMM!  
AznHalfBreed - Ha-ha, I win at life.  
VideogameFangirl - ...Mmf.  
AznHalfBreed - Yes I do, shut up and accept it. (he likes to say shut up a lot... so do I for that matter...)**


	14. Chapter Twelve – Pursuance after Dark

**VideogameFangirl - MMMMMMMMMMMMM!  
AznHalfBreed - No, I will not let you go. Anyway, she doesn't own Soul Calibur or anything like that. Namco owns it, thank the goddess.  
VideogameFangirl - Mmmmmmmmm... MMMMM MMMF MMMF!  
AznHalfBreed - I'm not going to take it off so just shut up.**

**Chapter Twelve – Pursuance after the Darkness**

Kiashi's smile was genuine as she looked into her eyes and Phoenix felt her lips curve into a tentative smile in return. She wiped the remaining tear from her cheek and sniffed to make her senses a little clearer. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, tilting it upwards so that she could look at the sky.

"I know. Let's go." She stood up and allowed the wind to sift through her hair and closed her eyes. Inside her mind, she screamed a pledge that she thought perhaps she would follow, maybe, if the winds guided her.

'_I will protect you, Akuma. I will release the two of us from this fate… I love you.' _With that thought in her mind, she turned back and nodded, aiming for a dignified look. Kiashi's look was far too sympathetic and Phoenix knew that she had not achieved the right effect. Or perhaps because Kiashi had just seen the previous exchange was the reason for sympathy. Whatever the reason, the girl blinked and shrugged, standing up after Phoenix.

"Now, to break the news to you," Began the fox girl after Phoenix had composed herself. "That, while good, was just an apparition." Phoenix's eyes widened in surprise as she watched Kiashi grimace. If that was true… Then…

"He must have such control over his powers! I thought it was… him!" She ended somewhat lamely but Kiashi nodded darkly.

"Me too but it was not. When I released that shard of light, if it had been the real him, it would have followed him until it bound him. However, all it did was make the apparition disappear. He has to be somewhere else. He's grown really good at morphing his power flow, in other words, what we use to find him." Phoenix felt that Kiashi was rather slow in reaching the conclusion but didn't really need the girl to finish off for she knew the real answer.

"So, he's in another world?" She asked. It was a shame if it were true; she rather liked this world, minus the weird creatures that attacked innocent bystanders. (Actually, Phoenix, it was the other way around. Didn't you attack the Twilight creatures? Am I the only one thinking this? Wait, breaking the forth wall… *goes back to writing*) Kiashi nodded solemnly and looked back in the direction that Akuma had disappeared. Wishing her life could be simple instead of this silly, complex mess, Phoenix took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

"Off we go then," This time, it was her who initiated, as both girls knew what to say when they wanted to leave a world. "I'm going to start; maybe I can reach him better this time." Kiashi nodded and both girls summoned their swords and held them crossed over one another. Kiashi winced and Phoenix had to guess she was still feeling the aftereffects of the attack. But the vixen just nodded and both spoke in unison.

"_In the name of the holy sword that only I possess, let its light be my guide, allow its entity to flow into my body. Link to the one other who is like us, as two cannot complete three; allow three to become one, let our essences combine, and grant us the ability to go forth and seek our comrade and restore right from so much wrong." _Now, their chorus separated as Phoenix began before Kiashi.

"_Protector of souls, keeper of the door to freedom, guardian of light purity, Soul Calibur!" _She waited for Kiashi to start, the girl was just a tad late.

"_Conqueror of all time, master of dimensions, bearer of the key of travel, Chrono Sword!"_She winced as she spoke but blinked to show that she was ready for the next line.

"_Bring us to the destroyer of sanity, hand of death and hell, demon of chaos, Soul Edge!" _The same process occurred and Phoenix felt the light rain upon her face before the same sensation she had experienced came upon her and she was lost in the blinding light.

She felt the light finally relapse from around her and she opened her eyes so that she could see once again. Kiashi was also floating down next to her. Both girls landed lightly once again on soft grass, but she could tell they were in a different world. There was a different smell here than in the last one, and also a different sense of what existed. It was a difficult thing to explain and came to a loss of words. Kiashi's hair bounced around her sides as the girl also fell beside Phoenix. This place felt somewhat familiar, though, as if she had been here. Kiashi's shoulders shot up to her ears as she withdrew her hands and scowled at their surroundings.

"What are we doing back here?!" She exclaimed. This was all Phoenix heard as she suddenly felt something very painful hit her with oncoming force. She screamed as she fell to her knees and felt as if her body was splitting. Kiashi's yells soon joined hers and both girls fell to the ground. But as quickly as it had come, the pain left Phoenix. She stopped screaming and exhaled.

"Wha… What was tha... that?"She panted, unable to release coherent words. Kiashi winced and it hit Phoenix where they were. "We're back home!" She exclaimed. As if to confirm her words, they saw the slight figure of a girl come running down the way. As she gazed at this figure, she recognized the wind girl, though, something was amiss.

"Hello!" She called as she ran down the hill and in no time at all, her arms had encompassed Phoenix as well as Kiashi. The vixen sputtered and attempted to break free but it was all in vain. The combined effort of her exhaustion and Talim's hug were too much. Talim remained hugging them but let Kiashi out so she could breathe. Phoenix marveled at the girl and decided to ask her question.

"Talim! You look so different! What happened?" She asked. Indeed, the wind girl was taller and her clothes were not the familiar green and white ensemble that Phoenix was used to. Talim grinned for the life of her and light seemed to come out of her smile as she gazed at the two girls.

"It's been so long… Two years without seeing you, I thought maybe you had been… Well, it's so nice to see you!" Two… years?! It had been that long? Did this explain why Akuma had been so tall when they had met? She licked her lips and looked at her body. It was then she noticed her skirt rose higher than it had been just a few moments ago and her shoes felt kind of tight. She had developed other places as well, had this been more than a growth spurt? Kiashi showed no decency and hitched up her skirt to see how long her legs had become.

"Oh, I _thought_ something was up." She began. She looked up at Phoenix and seeing that she was completely confused, she explained. "You don't age in other worlds because the time difference is too much. What seemed like so little time to us was two years where we belonged. That's why we had that spurt." She looked a little uncomfortable as se stretched and noticed her arms were longer than she was used to. "Jeez, I'm going to trip over my own feet. This'll make me downright clumsy." Kiashi grumbled as she finished stretching and walked perfectly norhousey to where the other two were. Phoenix leaned up and felt there was more of her than she was used to as well. Oh well.

"That's… nice, Kiashi. Talim, what has happened? Why would you think us dead? We said we were going to be…" Her voice faded as Talim's face took on a sorrowful and pained look. She stopped talking immediately and closed her lips, eyeing the girl with trepidation. Talim sighed and wiped the sweat off her brow before leaning up and allowing Phoenix do to the same. She shot a look over to Kiashi and began to speak.

"It has been so long… Our land has been plagued by much since you were away. Come and follow, I shall talk." She said, motioning for both girls to follow her. Phoenix wondered what could've possibly happened while they were gone but followed behind the wind girl. Kiashi, after her usual grimacing, followed behind Talim next to Phoenix. Both girls then caught up with Talim and started to walk beside her as she continued to explain.

"It seemed as if Soul Edge were waiting for you to leave before he found his opportunity to attack. The instant you left, he aimed an attack towards Fräisuwa, the town located right near the wind village. It's hard to say exactly… but it seemed planned, as if he knew when you guys were leaving." She sent a skeptic glance at Phoenix with this last comment, who simply shot her a look as if to say _'uh, yeah, do I look like I'd tell him where we were going so he could attack people?' _Talim took the right meaning of the look and backed off immediately. She looked at Kiashi so that she could also egg the girl into admitting something but Kiashi simply glared right back so Talim had to go back to explaining.

"Anyway, he destroyed the whole entire village; wiped it out. There were no survivors and I could only count it lucky that he didn't get his targets." The longer Phoenix listened, the less it sounded like Talim. And was it just her, or did the girl's image flicker? It was as she was pondering these thoughts that Kiashi came closer to her and whispered something in her ear.

"It doesn't seem like Talim, get ready." She said quietly. Phoenix nodded; the girl was acting strangely alright. They looked back up to Talim and pretended the exchange hadn't happened.

"Then, those bastards came to attack our village too." The girl invoked use of somewhat fowl language and Kiashi raised eyebrows at Phoenix. No doubt now, this girl was no Talim. Kiashi scowled into the night air and with narrowed eyes, she withdrew a shouse dagger from within the folds of her clothes. Phoenix went to ask where on earth had she found the dagger and then decided that she didn't even want to know.

"Talim," Phoenix began, unsure of what to say next. The wind girl turned around and for the first time all night, she could see the eyes of Talim. They were not the usual chocolate shade but glimmered with an inner scarlet color. Kiashi raised the dagger in front of her body, which caused Talim to grimace and look sad.

"I shall have to explain deeper, I am sorry if I do not seem to be myself as of late. Akuma released shards of Soul Edge upon us all. I have been contaminated, or at least a shouse portion. I have been trying to cleanse myself but you caught me during the process." It was believable and Phoenix extended her arm forward. She rested her hand on Talim's forehead and felt the presence of something evil. Wishing her powers didn't fail her; she extended a bit into her friend and felt the evil slowly dissipate. The evil shards materialized in the air around them and fell with a clang on the ground. Talim's eyes looked relieved but it relieved the young Phoenix even more that her friend had not been lying to her. She did not want to fight her. Kiashi snorted but lowered her weapon and put it back inside of her clothes. She, like Phoenix, did not seem to want to fight either but had a different way of showing it. Talim slowly smiled and continued.

"Thank you so much, it feels so much better. Anyhow, the shards contaminated my wind village. I thought it was imperative to de-contaminate everyone else first so I did along with grandma. I'm the last one left, everyone else is clean." Phoenix found it hard to believe that Talim had somehow cleaned the village but accepted it. Perhaps there was more strength to this wind girl than what met the eye. Kiashi yawned and looked supremely bored and coughed to make Talim finish whatever was left of her story.

"Sorry. I have been a little more than forgetful these past few days… Do not worry; no one of our group of friends has been hurt badly. I am happy to see you two are well." She ended with a smile, despite what had just happened. She seemed to be wondering about something else but was also at a loss for words for she said nothing else. Phoenix felt it was her turn to interject and add some sense into the conversation.

"That's interesting. So, Talim, how'd you know where we were?" Phoenix was still just a tad suspicious, she didn't know if she had gotten all the evilness out of her friend. Kiashi seemed to think that Talim was indeed purged of Soul Edge as she glared at Phoenix for being so skeptic. Before even the girl in question could respond, the vixen spoke up.

"She reads the winds, dumb-dumb. Of _course _she knew where we were. You idiot." Kiashi was never out of sarcastic comments and now seemed like no exceptions. She was always like this! But perhaps it was this reason that Phoenix liked hanging out with her. Kiashi wasn't that bad. Phoenix stuck out her tongue, which caused Kiashi to stick out hers and both girls exchanged words through their eyes. Talim watched this complete non-verbal exchange before clearing her throat and prompting one of them to speak. Seeing as how both were now having a staring contest, she sighed and spoke up.

"Can we move on past your weird obsessive like behavior over arguing? We have to get back and tell grandma that the two of you have returned." Talim threw them both a shrewd look and forced them to stop glaring at the other. Phoenix followed after the shorter girl, it was still a marvel to her how she had had a phenomenal growth spurt and the other had only grown a few inches. Kiashi saw this thought on her face and smirked, however, she did not comment. The three progressed further and finally, Kiashi broke the blooming silence.

"Eh, no offence, shortie, but I need to talk to Phoenix. Alone." She added when Talim went to go say something against her. The short girl nodded and didn't look like she liked the thought of this little private conversation that the two were about to have. Kiashi dragged Phoenix away from the other girl and the two departed into a clearing a little ways from Talim. A little meaning a lot, actually. Phoenix looked confusedly at Kiashi, who chose now to explain.

"Listen, Phoenix, I'm telling you this now before you get any ideas. You are _not _to tell Talim what happened when we went to that other world." She saw how Phoenix's face crumpled as she contemplated lying to the nice wind girl. Kiashi sighed and continued, as if to explain herself as she constantly had to do. "I meant, it's really dangerous to tell her what happened. Tali will freak if she hears what happened to us, Fee, I mean, Phoenix." Kiashi had remembered Phoenix's distaste in her using that nickname. Only by her saying these simple words brought a wave of emotions to Phoenix's mind. She thought inexplicitly of Akuma and blocked the thought out before it could progress. She opened her eyes to stare at blue haired Kiashi before sighing and nodding.

"But why? Why should we hide the truth from her?" Kiashi sighed and pinched her nose as if this should be the most obvious news in the world.

"Um, news flash, she was just possessed by _Soul Edge_? Um, right, I don't think I want to advertise our positions to your lover boy boyfriend right now." She said with a grimace and a growl. Phoenix was surprised by Kiashi's tone and turned red at the three words she uttered. He was not a lover boy…

"Thanks, you. Okay, I won't say a word." Kiashi nodded and turned to go but before they left the clearing, she turned back to tell Phoenix one last thing.

"We're always going to be in this alone, Fee. Talim won't be there to help us. Only us two." She said in a silent voice. Before Phoenix could even respond, the girl turned and headed throughout the forest and back to said wind girl. Phoenix followed after her, slowly and deep in thought.

'_Why would Kiashi really want to keep it a secret…? I know we're alone but friends don't hurt…' _She re-thought over what Kiashi had just told her and came to another conclusion. _'Maybe she doesn't want Talim to get involved. In the end, it'll always be a war between the three swords, not anyone else.' _The thought didn't do much to comfort Phoenix, then again, mostly nothing did. It was more like coming terms with the truth and realizing that she could do nothing about it. She sighed and hurried after Kiashi, thinking that the other two might be suspicious if she lagged behind for too long. Her feet carried her faster and she arrived in front of Talim. Indeed, said shortie did not look overly enthused about what had just transpired but chose not to say anything. She did, however, comment on one thing.

"I'm going to go on ahead, you two catch up whenever." She strode faster than Phoenix had ever seen her move and was gone within seconds, leaving her with the vixen. Kiashi glared at the spot where Talim had been and looked up at Phoenix. Her eyes looked malevolent, and then again, when had they not?

"Bitch." She muttered under her breath. Phoenix scolded her with her eyes for using such language. Kiashi shrugged and stood up. "What? It's true. She can't take not knowing everything." She said as she leaned against a nearby tree. Phoenix thought she was being rather brash and very rude and decided to say such.

"So you take me away on a private conversation and come back and tick Talim off? To top it, you even call her a b-i-t-c-h!" She said, spelling out the word for she had no desire to say much of anything else. Kiashi raised her eyebrows and she smirked at the girl.

"Thank you, Phoenix. Alright, c'mon, let's go." Phoenix stared at her, unable to move. Kiashi sighed; she would have to spell this out again. But the girl was never clear so how was it Phoenix's fault for not understanding?! "Off we go to the destroyed village, dumb-dumb. If we can find signs of where he really is, it'll be there." She said with a voice marred with an undertone of superiority. Phoenix took it back, she didn't like this girl. She always acted so high and mighty and then she'd turn around and act all weak and innocent! She closed her eyes and allowed the rage to leave her. Now was not the time to take it out on the vixen. No matter how much she wanted to.

"You seem to think you can adopt the leader role." She said through gritted teeth. Kiashi laughed for the first time in awhile and smiled as she signaled Phoenix to follow her into the night.

**----------------------------------------------------**

**VideogameFangirl - Grrrrrr.  
AznHalfBreed - Wow, you make new noises. Okay people, story's almost done! This is the second to last chapter so yeah!  
**


	15. Chapter Thirteen Storm of Emotions

****

**VideogameFangirl - AH! I can BREATHE again! YES! FINALLY! FRESH AIR!  
AznHalfBreed - Aw, crap, it didn't hold.  
VideogameFangirl - Gah, Masshuu, you so-in-so! Okay, wait! This is the last time I have to say this! WOO-HOO!  
AznHalfBreed - Yah.  
VideogameFangirl - I don't own Soul Calibur or any characters cause' Namco does! YES! LAST TIME!  
AznHalfBreed - Actually, not really. If you think about it, if you were to write another fanfiction let's say, you would have to give credit once again.  
VideogameFangirl - Masshuu?  
AznHalfBreed - What?  
VideogameFangirl - I don't care.  
AznHalfBreed - ...**

**Chapter Thirteen – Raging Storm of Emotions **

The two beat down an unfamiliar path, somewhat so to her as she had never taken this particular route to the town of Yosuna. Kiashi whistled below her breath and Phoenix could've sworn she hear her low chuckle as they began to get back on a proper road. She looked up to see the moon high in the sky and she walked a little slower, marveling at its beauty. It was funny, but she hadn't been given a chance since this whole adventure started to really stare at anything that sparked her as pretty. The moment, predictably, did not last long as Kiashi turned and placed a glare on her face. Phoenix raised her eyebrows and grinned slowly.

"Uh, what?" She said with a totally fake stab at casualness. Kiashi just shook her head and proceeded to ignore her friend. Sometimes, this girl had a huge ego. The two walked together and Kiashi made no further attempt at a decent conversation. Phoenix felt a little worn from all the bickering and back and forth. She just followed her, no longer trying to make a conversation with the girl. The two proceeded further into the forest, now on an official trail. Kiashi looked bored, Phoenix, intrigued. Before long, the horrible smell of blood and burning wood began to fill her nostrils. She brought her hand up and pinched her nose.

"Ugh! That smell is _horrendous_! Eyah!" She said as she squeezed her eyes shut as well. She opened them once more to see Kiashi wincing and pinching her nose too.

"Yeah, we're close. Hurry your butt up." She said bluntly. She did not seem eager to get close to the place where the killing had occurred but the two no longer had a choice. Phoenix's mind suddenly flashed back to how Akuma's face had looked when he had been about to kill that creature that had been about to kill her. She winced as she thought of it but said nothing. She tried to wipe the picture out of her mind all together. Luckily for her, this effort made her forget about the rancid smell that entered her nostrils. Kiashi wrinkled her nose and sniffed loudly. However, she was becoming accustomed to the smell, as was her companion. They were able to un-pinch their noses and release their fingers but for the life of her, she hoped they would NOT be staying in this village for long.

"Erg, this is so horrible. Oh…" She ended on a weirdly put word as she stared up at the smoke and decimated buildings. Everything was scorched or burned, there weren't even bodies anywhere. The closer she looked, the more she noticed that the black on the walls wasn't just fire remains. She shot up like and arrow and clutched Kiashi, who was trying to look calm. "Is… Is that b-blood?!" She exclaimed in a very high-pitched voice that sounded most unlike her own. Kiashi sent her a pointed stare and nodded.

"Don't act like you haven't seen it. Although, is this really his doing?" She seemed to be asking herself the question and not questioning Phoenix. The sight was horrid but the more she looked at it, the less she could believe that it was really Akuma who had done this. Kind, gentle, Akuma who could hold her face with his hands so tenderly. But then she remembered his evil look and shook her head. Devilish Akuma would be more accurate. She still couldn't come to grips that he did this, though.

"Was it Soul Edge that possessed him? I'm sure he didn't do this on his own." She said, seeking reassurance as she said so. Kiashi didn't really offer any words of wisdom, she only shrugged her shoulders.

"Most likely. What-evs, this is not my cup of tea so let's get this over with." The girl was trying for sarcasm in light of the current situation. This vixen never ceased to surprise her. "I know I seem casual," She began to add. "But it's the only way I cope without breaking down." She added. Phoenix nodded, at a clear loss for what to say. It was one thing to see this death all around them, it was another to understand why Kiashi acted the way she did. She had long ceased giving up trying to understand the girl. Horror overtook her feelings as she gazed at the would-be village. Her hands shot up to her face and she covered her mouth in denial. No… Her mind did not want to see the horrid sight in front of her. Was it just another form of denial that her mind went through when she saw death through her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and pretended that she was in a place where life made sense. But since no such thing existed, she burst open her eyes and silently cursed all things dead. She progressed through the village, wincing every time she saw blood or burned places. Which was almost at every step she took. Kiashi watched this for a little bit and did not comment, although when Phoenix would look, the girl would roll her eyes. She stopped dead, at the crossroads in the town, and turned back to Kiashi.

"Hey, Kia, do you think this town is in Twilight?" She asked. Kiashi suddenly looked thoughtful towards this suggestion and rubbed her chin. After several moments of standing there blankly, she blinked twice more and a shouse smile came upon her mouth before quickly disappearing. Obviously, she had had a stroke of inspiration and didn't think too highly of it, or she realized something terrible.

"That might be, most likely yes. But if that's the case, he might've already eaten their souls." Phoenix glared at Kiashi for suggesting such a vulgar thing and narrowed her eyes. It was always this girl suggesting that Akuma was the one behind the killings. If everything Kiashi said was true, he would be the reason that the narrator is writing this fanfiction. Oops, broke the fourth wall. Phoenix crossed her arms over her chest and gave Kiashi a mild death glare, no pun intended.

"You could stop bashing him, Kiashi." Before the vixen could respond, she spoke louder. "Let's just find how to get into Twilight, and then we'll find him." It always felt like she was being led by the hand, perhaps she was. She was now a thirteen year old in the body of a fifteen year old. Kiashi was mentally much older than her and knowing her powers gave her an added boost too. It was tedious but as this girl was the only one who knew how to get into Twilight… Phoenix couldn't hurt her. Kiashi sighed but laid off the Akuma-bashing comments.

"Yeah, again, whatever. It shouldn't be that hard. I mean, if the two of us team up together, we'll be able to get in." She turned away but before she did, Phoenix heard her mutter something under her breath. "I'll have to kill him to stop this, you won't do it." She was shocked to hear these words but said nothing in response to it. It wasn't meant for her to hear so she wouldn't say one word. Kiashi strode on ahead and disappeared into the colors of the rising sun. She hurried after her, eager and hesitant to see her object of affection once again. The dirt scuffed up at her feet and she began to follow the trail after the form of the vixen. She caught up and grabbed Kiashi's arm to make her slow. The girl complied but did not look around, she was looking for something. Kiashi stopped short and caused Phoenix to bang into her.

"It's here." She said with finality. Phoenix looked dazed and confused and for the umpteenth time, Kiashi had to explain her words. If the girl was clear, this wouldn't happen so often. "This is the spot where we can go into the Twilight, or at least I think so, anyway." It was odd to hear her so unsure of herself but Phoenix nodded and stepped closer to her friend. Kiashi linked her hand in hers and the two stepped parallel to the spot of land that Kiashi had chosen. She began to speak, Phoenix straining to hear.

"Repeat after me: _Fabric of time, strings that connect this place to the one beyond,_" She paused, allowing Phoenix to catch up a tiny bit.

"_Fabric of time, strings that connect this place to the one beyond,_" She hastily repeated after Kiashi.

"_Merge our essences with the one other who shares our existence and let three be reunited._" Phoenix raised an eyebrow but repeated after her, the chant sounding short compared to the last one.

"_Merge our essences with the one other who shares our existence and let three be reunited_." Once the words left her lips, another ripple of light encircled them and she felt herself float into the air, Kiashi across from her. She squeezed her eyes shut as the light got to powerful for her to see. She felt the wind whirl against her cheeks and blow into her ears before the light disappeared and a strange hue burst through her eyelids. She tentatively opened one and then the other, her eyes blinking against the sudden contrast to the previous scenery. It was back to being somewhere in between the colors of the sunset, however, it was streaked with yellow and black. She looked up to see Kiashi already wiping whatever dirt had possibly gotten on her clothes. Phoenix looked around and noticed that they were virtually in the same place, except this version of Yosuna was in Twilight.

"Can you find him? I can't sense anything here." Said a tentative Kiashi. Wait, Kiashi and tentative did NOT belong in the same sentence. However, Phoenix complied with her orders and tried to reach out with her senses to find him.

'_How _do _you find someone anyway? Do I just ask Soul Calibur to show me the way or…?" _She thought to herself. Phoenix nodded again, moreover a confirmation to what she had just thought than anything else. She closed her eyes and allowed, willingly and for the first time in awhile, thoughts of Akuma to come into her mind. She felt his burning rage and guilt somewhere in the distance. As if blindfolded, she swiveled to the direction she sensed him coming from and slowly, she began to walk. She heard Kiashi's pattering footsteps and assumed the girl was following her as the two made their progression up the hill. A faint gust of wind upturned part of her hair and Phoenix felt an overwhelming anxiety. Neither of the two of them had been strong enough to combat Soul Edge the last time they had faced other. What would happen this time? Would everything work out?

The faint sun that was so tinged with the yellow hue of Twilight shone on their backs. Phoenix could feel the heat even through her closed eyes. Her pace began to get faster as they could nearer and nearer to their location. She felt her heart began to speed up in anticipation and cursed the beast for being so traitorous. She hated her heart more and more with the passing days and couldn't help but feel that it had long since abandoned her. Sighing, she finally opened her eyes as the presence of Akuma pressed upon her.

"Kiashi, he's up ahead." She didn't hear a response from her blue haired friend and stopped and turned, seeing no one. "Kiashi?" She asked again. Feeling fright build up, she began to speak again. "Kiashi, this isn't funny! Where are you?!" She yelled. She began to look around in a frantic nature and her eyebrows knitted together as she worried. Where on earth had Kiashi disappeared to, anyway? This girl wouldn't play this type of joke… would she? No, she knew her better than that. Kiashi would not disappear like this on her. One more time, she reached out and called to her friend.

"Kiashi!" She heard a sputtering gasp and head the crack of fried wood. Running over to the source, she saw Kiashi fall and rushed over to see what was going on with her. She saw her friend wince and her eyes widened as she saw an immense amount of blood where Kiashi was.

"Crap…" Kiashi muttered. Phoenix fell to her side and for the first time, she willed the blue light to come out and heal her friend. To her delight and relief, it came and encompassed Kiashi. To her horror, it did not work and Kiashi continued to bleed profusely. She gulped and held her friends' pale hand.

"Phoe…nix…" She said, causing Phoenix to worry what had happened and if she would be okay.

"W-What happened?!" She exclaimed, her voice piercing the quiet surroundings and merging with the sounds of the rustling of trees. Kiashi winced at the loud sound but responded all the same.

"Akuma happened. While you were following his scent, you couldn't sense what happened to me. He set up a trap designed to leave you alone. It's… ah…" She said and winced. She swallowed and looked like she forced herself to continue. "I… Phoenix… It was made of shards of Soul Edge. He will have to remove it himself. You cannot heal me. The best you can hope for is to somehow make him see the light and heal me himself." Phoenix nodded, tears in her eyes. If she failed, her friend would die. She shook and managed to choke out two words.

"I promise." She said. Kiashi managed a weak smile. Phoenix left her to rest next to a tree and stood up, wiping her eyes even though the tears kept on coming. She turned fast and felt the winds blow. She felt the wind pierce her face, felt the cold sensation of wind on her warm, wet tears, before her mind realized that she was alone in this world and she had no one. She felt the truth echo in her mind as she comprehended the fact that her destiny was hers and her path was one of eternal loneliness. Feeling sadness wretch at her heart, she swallowed hard and clenched her fists. She would not fail. She did not want to be alone and she would make Akuma see. But her mind knew there was only one way to do this. She came to grips with it and accepted it. Yes, that was what she would have to do. Departing from her dearest friend, she made her way through the clearing and felt the winds diminish to nothing. Wiping the rest of her tears from her face, she looked forward to see Akuma, sitting and facing towards the sun.

"Akuma," She said in a low voice. The boy turned to face her and his eyebrows raised in surprise. He saw anger and denial on her face, an emotion that probably surprised him. Fighting back the tears that threatened to overtake her, she summoned Soul Calibur and held the sword in front of her body.

"Now, Phoenix," He said and he stood up from his perch. He walked a little ways to her but she tensed and got into fighting stance. Akuma swallowed and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Come now, I don't want to fight you." He said in an almost pleasing tone. Phoenix narrowed her eyes, she would not fall for the tricks of Soul Edge.

"I've come to defeat you and make you heal Kiashi." She said and with those words, she rushed forward to attack the love of her life and her worst enemy. He looked surprised by her attack but summoned Soul Edge all the same. He fended off her first blow with a parry kept on the defensive as she raised her sword into an upwards thrust. Aiming to make him confused, she made her sword disappear, only to grab it out of thin air and slice into his exposed arm. She saw Akuma bite his lip, most likely against the pain of her blow. He thrust his sword at her, Phoenix dodging the blow by jumping on to his sword. From her vantage point in the air, she brought her sword down, aiming to pierce into his shoulder. Akuma saw right through her movements and grabbed her ankle, forcing her to the ground with a crash. He brought the tip of his sword down and Phoenix grimaced. He had always been the better fighter, she had failed.

Finding strength from this realization, she suddenly thought of Kiashi and gathered her wit. She raised her sword in defense and thrust with force to disarm him of his weapon. The weapon flew into the air and she tried to slice him in the chest. He re-summoned Soul Edge and blocked her attempt; it looked as if the cut on his arm was luck. He got frustrated of the sword blows and summoned the power of Soul Edge. She saw the red magic fly towards her and knowing she had seconds, she summoned a shield from the holy sword. Her shield dispelled the energy that had gone to hurt her and she stood up slowly, showing him that she was not hurt. He gaped at her but aimed another beam of energy at her. Perhaps it was through her drive, or perhaps acquired skill, but she sent a blue beam of energy right back at him. The forces hit each other in midair and sent both of them sprawling backwards. With her best hope to the heavens, Phoenix used her sword to get back in standing stance and took a running start at Akuma.

He glared at her and the red bonds caught her sword by the tip. She tried to drag it back but to no avail. If she let the sword disappear, she'd be snagged. If she didn't, he could still hold her in place. He began to get up slowly and she did what she thought was option 'c'. She aimed a kick at his shins and the bonds slackened due to his effort to block. She released her sword and brought it down upon his shoulder. He yelled in pain and grabbed her sword. He thrust it out of her hands and its material form disappeared. Now temporarily defenseless, Akuma slashed Phoenix across her chest, her scream piercing the cool air. She fell to her knees, the pain was immense. She winced and summoned Soul Calibur once more and noticed, not to her surprise, that her wounds were not healing. Her legs shook in her effort to stand straight and perhaps this contributed to the reason that she did not, or could not, block him. He grabbed her wrist and she felt her energy start to leave her. Aiming for one of his pressure points, she got him to release her but not before she saw that all of his wounds had healed. Her weakness caused her to stumble backwards and Akuma took a slash at her arm, leaving a deep cut. She fell to the ground, shaking and unable to move. He would always be stronger, no matter how much of an edge she had. She forced herself to stand and found that she would only last a minute before she collapsed.

"A…kuma…" She said before she took a few steps towards him. He was wary but noticed that Soul Calibur had disappeared and she was defenseless. She felt tears brim the edges of her eyes and shook with restrained sobs. Ignoring the protests that her body made, she ran at him and before he could defend himself, she kissed him. Maybe it was the action that surprised him, maybe it was the timing. She saw his eyes widen in surprise and closed her own eyes. She felt her mind scream against what she was about to do but she had to. It was the only way that this would be over… The only way that they would be normal. Akuma kissed her back and she allowed herself to enjoy the moment. Then, wtih her eyes squeezed tight, she summoned Soul Calibur. The weapon did not go to her hands and pierced through her body and into his. The kiss ended as she looked down to see that she had stabbed them both right through the hearts. She felt his shock and felt her body try desperately to cling to life. But she felt blackness ebb around her line of vision and knew she had only a few moments to live. She hugged him and felt Akuma wrap strong arms around her.

"Phoenix…" Her name was one of the last things that she heard from his mouth. She heard so much emotion put into it. There was a little anger, guilt, regret, but above all, she heard her name said with so much love that it made her mind break. She broke into sobs that racked her whole entire body and Akuma held her tighter. She felt his body began to shake and knew that they were both about to die. She opened her eyes to look into his. She smiled and through her tears, she spoke, choking out her last words.

"I'm sorry, Akuma… I… love… you…" Her mouth stopped working and then she felt her body began to tighten. Before she could say or even think anything else, she felt him kiss her one more time. This was the last thing she felt before her mind and heart gave up trying to have her live and she faded into the darkness she called death. She felt Akuma shudder and felt both of their essences go at the same time.

Kiashi felt the darkness of Soul Edge began to leave her. Through her eyes, she saw the shards disappear and she felt happy. Her wounds began to heal and she stood up, feeling much better. She looked up expectantly, thinking that Phoenix would be coming with Akuma, the two of them laughing. But this sight never came. She waited for what seemed of forever and then paced forward, going after the trail left by Phoenix.

"Phoenix?" She called and she progressed faster, eager to see her friend and hug her for returning calm to the land. But as she got closer, she smelled blood and what was worse… death. She began to worry and moved faster. Then, her eyes caught something on the ground. Her smile faded to be replaced with a look of denial. She saw the frail body of Phoenix, her eyes staring blankly at the sunset that she could not see. She saw Akuma also near her. It was then she noticed that they were holding hands. Tears rushed to her eyes and she ran forward, dropping to her knees.

"No, no, NO!" She screamed and she shook Phoenix and Akuma rapidly. Neither of them moved and Kiashi spotted ghosts of their last smiles on their faces. She shook with sobs that resonated her whole body and screamed some more. She screamed of rage, guilt, sadness, but nothing panged her more than seeing that smile on Phoenix face and knowing that her friend would never say anything to her again. Her body sang sorrow and she hiccupped.

"N-no… You weren't supposed to die! You said you'd be back!" She yelled, somehow hoping that Phoenix would turn her head and grin, saying, "silly!" But the wish was not to be for the girl did not move and neither did the boy. She curled up in a ball and prayed. She did not know why she wished for this but she suddenly found herself praying to her sword, asking it for mercy.

"P-please Chrono Sword… Let them live!" She yelled. The prayer became louder and louder as the wind began to howl and sound in her ears. Violet light streaked with yellow began to circle around all three bodies and as she watched, she noticed that the body of her best friend emitted silver and blue light while Akuma emitted red and black light. The colors became a spiral and shot up into the air. The force was too much and Kiashi felt her eyes close. The winds died down and she saw that Phoenix and Akuma were the same, as lifeless as ever. She fell to the ground crying and fainted from denial and sorrow.

The sound of sobbing… Where was it coming from? Phoenix heard the sound but could not comprehend due to the onslaught of emotions bubbling inside of her. She felt exquisite pain in her body and attempted to sit up. She felt something cupping her hand. She turned her heavy head to see what it was and noticed Akuma, who was slowly blinking at her. She felt her heart skip a beat. With arms that felt like lead, she propped herself up and noticed that the sobbing was coming from Kiashi. She tried to smile and found the movement to be excruciating. She blinked and saw Akuma do the same thing, he attempted to get up but his wounds must've also hurt as well. Finally, her mouth sounded out the name of her best friend.

"K-Kiashi?" She asked. The sobbing abruptly stopped and she saw the mass of her uncurl and look up. Kiashi's eyes lost their sorrow and suddenly, wild happiness flooded into her face. She blinked several times and lifted a hand to stroke Phoenix's face. Phoenix pushed her away and Kiashi let out a yelp of joy. The next thing she knew, the vixen wrapped arms around her and hugged her. Not knowing what was going on, Kiashi then hugged Akuma too, making a group hug.

"Um…" Kiashi squinted at her through tearful eyes and glared playfully.

"You're alive!" She shouted and Phoenix nodded and looked at Akuma. He linked his hand with hers and together, the two nodded at her. Kiashi grinned and laughed. However, Phoenix was a little more than confused but Akuma soon helped her to understand.

"I don't feel the presence of Soul Edge any longer… What happened?" He asked Kiashi. The girl shuddered but sniffed, answering in a nasal voice.

"I… don't know. I think in exchange for your lives, we were each released of the spirits our swords carried." Phoenix felt herself perk up at this and tried to see if it were true. She reached for Soul Calibur but felt nothing. It was true; she was a normal girl now.

"It's true!" She exclaimed very loudly. She griped on to Akuma, hugging him tightly to her. Akuma hugged her back and she heard his laugh in her ear.

"I guess you're right. Never thought that we'd get a happy ending." He said in an amused voice. Through her tears, Phoenix nodded. She may have not had Soul Calibur anymore, but now, she was a normal girl and could love Akuma without restraint. He tilted her head up and kissed her. She closed her eyes and restrained a giggle as she heard Kiashi sigh. They broke apart and looked at her, Akuma partially glaring because he was interrupted.

"Can we get a move on? We have a lot of cleaning up to do." The three stood up and with her hand still linked to his. Phoenix nodded.

"Yeah." She said and with the wind blowing at their backs, the three set off down the hill. For the first time, she felt truly happy.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

**VideogameFangirl - Wow, I'm done. That's kind of impressive.  
AznHalfBreed - That's nice but what was with that heavy, ah, romance at the end?  
VideogameFangirl - I felt bad for killing them... I mean, I really like her! Akuma's okay, y'know.  
AznHalfBreed - Yeah, yeah, you just don't like sad endings.  
VideogameFangirl - If you must know, I couldn't end that way. Too much like a cliff hanger and then people would hate me more.  
AznHalfBreed - Oh well. So, this is our last conversation. Hooray.  
VideogameFangirl - Ah-huh, whatever. Thank you ever so much for reading this story! Masshuu, say something nice!  
AznHalfBreed - My name is Matt, not Masshuu, and like she said, it's great that so many people read. Thank you.  
VideogameFangirl - YEP! So, bye-bye! ^_^  
AznHalfBreed - No, you are not ending the dialogue like that. Thank you. Don't talk, Nana.  
VideogameFangirl - TOO LATE! HIGURASHI, OH YEAH!  
AznHalfBreed - Goddess, I hate you sometimes.  
VideogameFangirl - That's nothing new. Thanks again!**


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